Dehorning and disbudding cattle are among the most common painful procedures in livestock farming, performed without adequate pain relief in most operations.
Dehorning causes both acute procedural pain and prolonged post-operative pain that significantly reduces feeding behavior and growth for days. The procedure is performed to prevent horn-related injuries in crowded housing — a welfare problem arising from high-density management. Polled (hornless) genetics can eliminate the practice entirely at the breeding level, and are commercially available. This is the most welfare-positive long-term solution, supplemented by mandatory analgesia as an interim measure.