"The Voice of the Dairy Farmer"

Animal Welfare Update: Tail Docking

Consumer trends indicate increasing demand for more accountability and transparency for farming practices. The public is concerned with how the farm animals raised for meat, milk, eggs, and fiber are treated. By in large, they do not want to give up animal products, but rather want to be reassured that the individual animal’s well-being is still paramount to farmers.

The practice of routinely tail docking dairy cattle has become an area of concern for today’s discerning consumer and animal welfare/rights groups alike. We have good reason to believe that the Human Society of the United States (HSUS) may be introducing a bill this upcoming legislative session banning the practice of routine tail docking of dairy cattle in Washington State. We do not have statistics on the prevalence of tail docking in Washington State, but we do know that while the practice is increasing in popularity nationally, its use is declining in many Western states. According to the most recent National Animal Health Monitory System (NAHMS) survey, 39% of dairy cows in the U.S. had docked tails.

The practice has been banned in most of the developed world including: the European Union, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. This past fall, California became the first U.S. state to prohibit the practice. The practice of tail docking dairy cattle has been comprehensively studied and there have been no benefits associated with the practice in term of udder health, milk quality, cow cleanliness, and worker health. Furthermore, tail docking of dairy cattle has been shown to be both acutely painful (although the pain appears to be mild to moderate) and chronically painful in the form of neuromas (bundles of hyper-sensitive nerve endings) that develop at the end of the severed stump; similar to the phantom pain described by many human amputees. Tail docking has also been repeatedly shown to inhibit a cow’s natural ability to control flies.

More recently, the WSDF Board of Directors moved to be proactive by recommending elimination of tail docking on Washington’s dairy farms as soon as possible. We strongly encourage you to reconsider the routine practice of tail docking dairy cattle. Switch trimming or the clipping of the long hairs of the tail, is recommended as a viable alternative. Scientific literature reviews on the practice of tail docking are below, "Tail Docking Research Information". If you have any questions or comments please feel free to contact Jesse Robbins, Program Director at 206.930.9814 or email jesse.wsdf@centurytel.net.