Farm Animal Welfare

Cattle Dehorning and Disbudding Welfare

Dehorning and disbudding cause significant acute pain in cattle that is substantially reduced by local anaesthetic and NSAIDs, making pain management a welfare imperative.

Key Facts

Disbudding young calves with caustic paste or hot iron causes acute pain lasting hours
Dehorning adult cattle causes more severe pain than disbudding young calves
Local anaesthetic block reduces acute pain response during the procedure by over 90%
NSAID treatment reduces post-procedural pain lasting hours to days
Several European countries and all farm assurance schemes require pain management

Welfare Considerations

Dehorning causes severe, unnecessary pain when performed without anaesthesia. Effective pain management protocols exist, are inexpensive, and are required in many countries. Polled genetics provide a permanent solution by eliminating the procedure, making genetic selection for poll an important long-term welfare goal.

What You Can Do

Support mandatory pain management for all dehorning and disbudding procedures
Advocate for polled genetics selection to eliminate dehorning across dairy breeds
Choose dairy and beef products from certified producers with pain management requirements