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Natasha Wilkie, PAg, Regional Livestock Specialist
Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, Weyburn

Are you concerned about animal welfare? Ranchers and farmers are as well, which is why they implement management practices such as dehorning and castration on their farms. These procedures contribute to improved animal welfare; however, they recognize these management practices are painful which is why ranchers and industry updated the National Farm Animal Care Council’s requirements in the Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Beef Cattle regarding both dehorning and castrating.

Dehorning

Some cattle have the genetics to grow horns. It is important for animal welfare and human safety to remove the horns as they can cause injuries to both other animals and the people who work with them. When these animals are born, they have what is called a horn bud which attaches to the skull at approximately 2-3 months of age. Once the horn bud attaches, the horn begins to grow. If a producer is dehorning after this, the new requirement in the Beef Code of Practice is for farmers and ranchers to use pain control, in consultation with your veterinarian, to mitigate pain associated with dehorning calves after horn bud attachment.

Castration

Castration is another management technique used on farms and ranches to improve animal welfare and human safety as it reduces aggression towards humans and other cattle and prevents unwanted reproduction. A third factor to consider is that it improves meat quality for consumers. In addition to the requirements already in place, the Beef Code of Practice now requires producers to use pain control, in consultation with your veterinarian, when castrating bulls older than nine months of age. Come January 1, 2018, the age in which pain control is required is reduced to six months of age.

Luckily organizations are prepared for the new requirements and have a wealth of information ready for producers and consumers to help them learn more about the new requirements. One such organization is the Beef Cattle Research Council – they have an entire webpage dedicated to pain management.  The webpage, found at www.beefresearch.ca/pain, contains all sorts of information, including a table of pain control products licensed for beef animals in Canada.

For more information, please contact: Your Regional Livestock Specialist or Agriculture Knowledge Centre (1-866-457-2377).