Proposed Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines for Cattle

A2.9 Standard 6.4 – Requirement for pain relief when dehorning cattle under certain circumstances

Dehorning remains an important tool for cattle husbandry and on-farm management of all calves in Australia. The practice of removing horns in cattle is undertaken to improve animal welfare in the longer term and for operator safety during handling. There is an increased risk of injury, hide damage and bruising in horned cattle compared to polled cattle, particularly during handling, yarding and transport.

According to proposed Standard 6.4, a person in charge must use *pain relief* when dehorning unless cattle are:

1. 
   under six months old; or
   
2. 
   under 12 months old if at their first yarding and where the later age is approved in the jurisdiction.
   

Setting acceptable time limits for the conduct of husbandry operations in young cattle without pain relief is an important issue. Under Australian circumstances, the application of pain relief for all husbandry procedures is not possible due to the widely spaced and remote nature of much of the cattle industry. The alternative requirements in the standard provide a practical basis for the extensive industry to operate successfully, whilst limiting the welfare impact in cattle over 12 months of age.

As with proposed Standard 6.4, the dose for pain relief would be 3ml for 100kg @ $1 per ml delivered including a 100% markup, therefore for a calf in northern and southern Australia the cost of pain relief (Ketoprofen) would be $8.74 per calf. With dehorning, it is assumed that 2% of both male and female beef calves would be affected (see column i1 of Table A2.9); 2% of female dairy calves would be affected (see column j1 of Table A2.9); and 2% of male dairy rearing calves would be affected (see column k1 of Table A2.9). Moreover, all jurisdictions would be affected by proposed Standard 6.4, apart from Tasmania and South Australia.
Public consultation question 19: Do you know the number or percentage of cattle requiring pain relief under for dehorning under proposed standard S6.4; or any information to improve the estimation of costs?
The incremental 10-year cost of pain relief using a non-steroidal analgesic for dehorning is estimated to be $10.69m or $7.02m in 2012-13 present value dollars, as shown in Table A2.11.
Table A2.11 – 10-year incremental cost of non-steroidal analgesic as pain relief for dehorning of calves by state and territory under Standard 6.4 –2012-13 dollars

Jurisdiction	Calves affected (r1)=(i1)^199*2% + (j1)*50%*2%+(k1)*2%	Annual cost of pain relief (s1) = (r1)* $8.74	10-year cost (t1) = (s1)*10
NSW	30,690	$268,370	$2,683,702
VIC	24,637	$215,436	$2,154,359
QLD	49,883	$436,196	$4,361,962
SA	-	$0	$0
WA	9,964	$87,128	$871,283
TAS	-	$0	$0
NT	7,060	$61,736	$617,358
ACT	60	$525	$5,247
Australia	122,294	$1,069,391	$10,693,911
Present value 7% discount rate			$7,019,585
3% discount rate			$8,856,430
10% discount rate			$5,973,587

A2.10 Standard 6.5 – Unquantifiable cost savings of permitting caustic chemicals for disbudding calves less than 14 days old.

Disbudding can be achieved through excision, cautery, and cryosurgery (freezing) or through the application of caustic agents. Of the recommended methods, excision is the most commonly applied practice for beef calves and cautery is the most commonly applied practice for dairy calves. The use of caustic provides a low impact method of disbudding very young calves and as such it is most relevant for the dairy industry.

Under proposed Standard 6.5, a person must consider the welfare of the calf when using a caustic chemical for disbudding, and must only use it if the calf:

1. 
   is under fourteen days old; and
   
2. 
   can be segregated from its mother for four hours after treatment; and
   
3. 
   can be kept dry for 12 hours after treatment; and
   
4. 
   is not wet.
   

Public consultation question 20: Do you know the number or percentage of calves are currently being dehorned using caustic chemicals that would benefit from the conditions specified under proposed standard S6.5? Do you have any information to improve the estimation of costs?

The proposed standard permits the acceptable use of this disbudding technique instead of alternative burning or excision methods.

This proposed standard would result in a cost savings by allowing dairy farmers to use caustic chemicals on dairy calves under 14 days old as long as the conditions listed above are maintained. However, given that the likelihood of these conditions occurring is unknown, these cost savings are as yet unquantifiable.

Public consultation question 21: Do you know the number or percentage of businesses that would otherwise choose to apply caustic chemicals under the aforementioned conditions in the proposed standard S6.5– and that are currently unable to do so? What would the typical cost savings be per calf?