Lamb Welfare: Consultation on proposed changes to castration and tail docking methods (Lles Ŵyn: Ymgynghoriad ar newidiadau arfaethedig i ddulliau ysbaddu a thocio cynffonnau)

Overview

Across the UK, castration and tail docking are routinely carried out on lambs. These procedures are typically carried out using the ‘rubber ring’ method without the use of anaesthesia or analgesia. Rubber ring castration and tail docking cause significant acute and chronic pain. The Animal Welfare Committee (AWC), an independent, expert committee of Defra and the Scottish and Welsh Governments, has considered the implications of castration and tail docking for the welfare of lambs. It has produced three reports on this topic, in 1994, in 2008, and most recently in 2022, which provided recommendations to improve lamb welfare.  

In alignment with AWC’s recommendations and scientific evidence, we are proposing to increase the accessibility of new methods that have been shown to be less detrimental to welfare than traditional methods, require the use of pain relief for methods that are known to cause significant pain, and set restrictions on who can carry out each method, how and when. Our proposals seek to ensure that, where castration and tail docking is carried out, pain caused to the animals by these procedures is appropriately minimised.   

The consultation will also seek to collect logistical information from relevant stakeholders.