Disbudding & Dehorning

Calves are disbudded or dehorned on 94.3% of US dairies, with only 28.2% of those dairies using analgesics/anesthetics.[S]

Over 90% of dairy farms in Germany perform disbudding, with only 0.7-3.7% of them using treatment considered effective at pain relief.[S]

80% of dairy farms in Italy perform disbudding, with only 10% using local anesthesia before the procedure, and only 5% using postoperative analgesia.[S]

93% of dairy farms in the Czech Republic perform disbudding, over 90% of them without any pain relief.[S]

72% of dairy farms in Finland perform disbudding, but only 45% of them use some form of pain relief.[S]

81% of calves on dairy farms in Australia are disbudded or dehorned. Among calves who are disbudded under 2 months of age, 12% do not receive any pain relief, and the remaining can still experience long-term pain due to inadequate practices.[S][S]

85.5% of dairy farms in Japan perform dehorning, 85% of those without any pain relief.[S]

59.5% of beef farms in Japan perform dehorning, 79.4% of those without any pain relief.[S]