Taking the ouch out of farming

These include procedures such a removal of horn buds (disbudding), castration, and tail docking, among others. As a general principle, SPCA advocates for the elimination of painful husbandry procedures through the use of genetics and alternative management strategies. However, achieving this is not always straightforward, practical, or efficient, particularly on a commercial scale.

Farmed animals are sentient and can experience pain, therefore we have a duty of care to ensure that they are treated accordingly, decreasing negative experiences and increasing positive ones. Where painful husbandry procedures cannot be completely eliminated due to animal welfare implications, like tail docking to prevent flystrike, SPCA Certified requires that animals undergoing these procedures experience the least pain possible.

This article outlines the different pain relief options available for farmed animals in New Zealand and how pain relief can be incorporated into common farming systems, helping support better welfare outcomes for animals.

Pain relief that is given before a painful procedure is referred to as pre-operative pain relief. It is designed to prevent the acute (immediate) pain associated with a painful procedure.

In New Zealand, this is achieved with a local anaesthetic, which is injected into the target site to numb the area. It is similar to a numbing injection you would get at the dentist. Animals have the initial discomfort of the injection, but afterwards they do not feel the cut from a scalpel, the throb from a ring, or the burn from a hot iron. For best effect, the local anaesthetic should be administered five minutes before the procedure to allow the numbing sensation to take effect.

There is also a topical gel spray which contains local anaesthetic. This gel can be applied to a variety of open wounds to reduce the associated short term (acute) pain, such as accidental shearing cuts or wounds resulting from flystrike.

Local anaesthetic has a short duration of action, only lasting one to two hours. Research tells us the pain from painful husbandry procedures is also felt for some time after the local anaesthetic loses its effectiveness. This is where post-operative pain relief comes into play.

The use of post-operative pain relief makes the coming days after a painful procedure more comfortable for the animals.

In New Zealand, the most common post-operative pain relief given to farm animals are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (commonly known as ‘NSAIDs’). They are the same class of drug (e.g. ibuprofen) as can be found in Nurofen NZ© or Advil© that a person might take to relieve a headache or toothache.

For animals, these drugs are usually injectable, however there is also an oral variety available. They take about 20 minutes to start working and effects can be felt for between 24 and 72 hours. Not only are NSAIDs great for pain relief after painful husbandry procedures, they are also a great welfare tool for general illness or injury, such as lameness or mastitis. NSAIDs not only reduce pain but also inflammation, and have been clinically shown to help animals feel better, eat more, and recover faster.

Sedatives are also useful drugs for some painful husbandry procedures. Sedatives create a sleep-like state (reduced awareness) and many sedative drugs also have an analgesic (pain relief) effect. Generally, sedatives are used to make handling of animals during a painful husbandry procedure easier, and minimise distress experienced by the animal due to the animal being ‘asleep’.

Sedatives are often used during disbudding of young calves. It is important to always give pre- and post-operative pain relief to animals regardless of whether a sedative is used, because usually the sedative is reversed after the procedure – this ‘wakes up’ the animal, but also reverses any pain-relieving effects, but also reverses any pain-relieving effects.

Table 1: Pain relief options for farmed animals in New Zealand

SPCA strongly recommends avoiding painful husbandry procedures where possible, such as not castrating animals which will be sent to slaughter before sexual maturity. However, where such procedures are deemed necessary, SPCA Certified requires pain relief for all painful husbandry procedures that occur on farm. This is usually a combination of pre-operative and post-operative pain relief, for the best welfare outcomes.

Animal Health Plans are required to be formulated, in conjunction with a veterinarian, and must outline appropriate treatment and pain management for all painful husbandry procedures, and for common diseases and conditions on farm (e.g. lameness, mastitis, difficult births, and eye infections).

The use of pain relief - in its various forms - is becoming more common on New Zealand farms, and globally. There is increasing scientific evidence to show both the positive effects on animal welfare and animal productivity.

There is a growing demand globally to ensure that animals’ welfare needs are met, and this includes minimising pain and distress. With increasing customer concerns about farming practices which have the potential to cause suffering, it is more important than ever to closely examine farming systems and see where practical changes can be made to mitigate harm.

By choosing to support farmers who invest in harm-reducing technologies, adopt welfare-friendly management strategies, and focus on developing systems where farmed animals can have positive life experiences, such as those farmers who are part of the SPCA Certified programme, you are doing your bit to ensure farmed animals live a good life.