Livestock

Cattle Castration: Welfare Evidence and Best Practice 2026

Castration of male cattle is common practice in beef production, and evidence-based welfare guidance requires the use of pain relief to minimise suffering during the procedure.

Key Facts

Castration is performed to reduce aggression, improve meat quality and simplify herd management
Surgical, rubber ring, and Burdizzo methods are all used with different welfare profiles
Pain is measurable using cortisol, behavioural and physiological measures for at least 24 hours post-procedure
Use of local anaesthetic and NSAID analgesia significantly reduces pain indicators

Welfare Considerations

Castration without pain relief causes unnecessary suffering that is preventable with available veterinary drugs. Rubber ring application in older animals causes prolonged pain that surgical castration does not. Welfare best practice requires local anaesthetic before surgery and pre-emptive NSAID analgesia for at least 24 hours. Early castration at young ages reduces but does not eliminate welfare impacts.

What You Can Do

Always use pain relief for cattle castration as recommended by veterinary guidelines
Consult a vet about appropriate analgesic protocols for your production system
Consider whether castration is necessary in systems where entire males can be managed safely
Advocate for mandatory pain relief requirements for surgical castration in national legislation