The disbudding of dairy calves is a routine husbandry procedure, made necessary by intensification of farming practices and performed for animal and handler safety. The common practice of disbudding dairy calves in Australia without legal requirement for the provision of analgesia, fails to observe the basic freedoms afforded to all animals. As social awareness and concern for the welfare and treatment of production animals increases, so does the pressure to abate the negative public perception associated with practices such as disbudding and dehorning. The dairy industry must be proactive in its efforts to alleviate the concerns of the public by adequately addressing such issues. This presentation aims to address the practice of disbudding and to fully evaluate the effect this routine husbandry procedure has on calves. The presentation will also include a trial performed in Finley to study the outcome of veterinary disbudding using sedation and analgesia designed to alleviate the pain and stress of disbudding so as to enhance animal welfare and production.
