Removing calves’ horn buds with hot iron

UK public disapproval rating: 75.7%

Prevalence on UK Farms: 90% (3 million animals per year¹)         

According to the RSPCA, 90% of UK herds in the beef industry are disbudded, meaning their horn buds are removed before they develop into horns. This painful procedure is most commonly carried out by applying a heated iron directly to the tissue. Dairy herds in the UK are likely disbudded at a similar rate, and perhaps even higher, as indicated by more general European trends. The UK specifically requires that farms administer anesthesia prior to disbudding calves with a hot iron². But it is unclear how closely this requirement is followed. What is more clear is that post-operative pain management is rare, even if anesthesia at the point of disbudding is administered. The vast majority of disbudding in the UK is performed by farm personnel (86% of farms) rather than veterinarians, but only 14% of farmers routinely use non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to manage post-operative calf pain. Recent research indicates that calves may continue to experience pain up to three weeks post-disbudding. In fact, calves may actually experience pain for longer than this — three weeks was merely the cut-off point of the study. 

But why this at all? Calves are disbudded because horned cattle are more difficult, costly, or dangerous to manage. For example, horned cattle need more space, meaning less cattle can be raised or transported at once, resulting in higher costs. Apart from the danger they can pose to farmers, horned cattle may also present a risk to their fellow herdmates. Harming their herdmates is not just a welfare concern; it reduces profitability, as bruised meat must be trimmed away, and damaged hides fetch a lower price. However, there are alternatives to disbudding (and dehorning, the removal of developed horns). For one, farmers can use polled breeds, cattle which are naturally hornless. They can also update and improve farming conditions to mitigate the risks of horns. This means ditching the factory farming model — keeping less animals, allotting them more space, and ensuring the infrastructure is in place to protect farmers and cattle alike.

Castration of newborn calves by testicle crushing

UK public disapproval rating: 73.8%  

Prevalence on UK farms: Exact data not found

Newborn calves are castrated by various means, including using a rubber ring, a Burdizzo, or surgically removing the testes. The rubber ring method involves placing a tight rubber band around the scrotum, cutting off the blood supply and eventually resulting in the testes atrophying and dropping off. The Burdizzo method involves using a metal clamping tool to crush the spermatic cords. Surgical castration involves slitting open the scrotum to reveal the testes, which are then removed by twisting, pulling, or the use of a tool called an emasculator. These measures — including surgical castration — do not need to be carried out by a veterinarian unless the calf is over 2 months old. Pain relief — including anaesthesia at the point of castration — is also optional before 2 months of age. This means that pain relief is usually not given. While we have been unable to locate an exact prevalence rate, it is widely acknowledged that calf castration is standard practice, meaning virtually all male calves undergo the procedure. 

Killing newborn male calves as they cannot produce milk

UK public disapproval rating: 79.6%         

Prevalence on UK farms: 17.7% (79,492 animals per year³)

Male dairy calves have historically been considered a waste product, as they cannot produce milk, and were also unsuitable for beef production — resulting in their slaughter soon after birth. However, the tide is turning. In 2022, a total of 33,451 male calves under two months old were killed on-farm, and another 46,041 were sent to slaughterhouses⁴ (likely for European export or cheap kebabs, given the newly growing calf trade). This represents a somewhat small proportion (17.7%) of all male calves born into the dairy industry. In 2022, there were about 1.85 million dairy cows of calving age in the UK. Assuming each cow gives birth to a calf each year and about a quarter of these calves are male⁵, about 449,988 male calves were born that year. So, where were the majority of these calves sent? 

Apart from the veal market — which is relatively small in the UK — it appears that male dairy calves are more commonly absorbed into the beef industry. For example, in 2023, almost half (43%) of slaughtered ‘prime’ cattle (aged 12–30 months) in the UK originally came from dairy herds. This figure does not include dairy cows (females) that are slaughtered for meat after their milk production drops and they are no longer profitable — when these animals are included, 52% of cattle slaughtered for meat originally come from the dairy industry.

This highlights how deeply intertwined the dairy and beef industries have become, further emphasising that the dairy industry is indeed a slaughter industry — whether male calves are killed on-site soon after birth, in slaughterhouses for export or local veal, or within the beef industry at 1 to 2.5 years old. In addition, almost all dairy cows are also sent to slaughter after they stop producing milk.

Keeping pigs in tight cages where they cannot turn around for weeks

UK public disapproval rating: 96.2%         

Prevalence on UK farms: 60% of sows (205,261 animals per year⁷)

The majority of mother pigs (sows) are confined in farrowing crates, cages so small that they cannot turn around, for weeks at a time. Their confinement in these crates amounts to 22% of their adult lives. In the UK today 60% of sows are still confined in farrowing crates. These crates are justified by the industry as an animal welfare measure, intended to reduce incidences of piglet ‘crushing’ by the sow. However, farrowing crates are not guaranteed to reduce piglet mortality, and this analysis ignores the welfare of the sow. Other countries have banned the use of farrowing crates outright — Sweden in 1988, Norway in 2000, and Switzerland in 2007 — without increasing piglet deaths. For example, in Switzerland, piglet mortality has not changed since the ban went into effect and stands at 11.1%. Meanwhile, in the UK, this figure is worse at 12.1%. 

Cutting or grinding of teeth in newborn piglets

UK public disapproval rating: 75.8% 

Prevalence on UK farms: Exact data not found

Piglets are born with sharp teeth. These teeth enable them to fight for access to a teat, as sows do not necessarily have enough milk or teats available to feed each piglet — especially as sows are bred to birth larger and larger litters. To mitigate damage to their fellow litter mates and avoid harming the sow while nursing, newborn piglets are commonly subjected to teeth grinding and clipping. This means their teeth are ground down or cut, without any forms of pain relief. Routine ‘teeth reduction’ is illegal in the UK, but recent investigations (for example, see here and here) have exposed farms carrying out routine teeth clipping. Despite exact figures being unavailable, the practice is widely acknowledged as commonplace. 

Keeping chickens in cages about as tight as an A4 paper sheet 

UK public disapproval rating: 94.1%   

Prevalence on UK farms: 23% of egg-laying hens (11,268,823 animals per year⁸)

While battery cages are not permitted according to UK regulations, so-called ‘enriched’ cages are. These cages are larger, but packed with more birds, making the allotted space per bird similar to a battery cage. Nearly all (95%) of broiler (i.e. meat) chickens are confined in intensive indoor systems, with the majority of these being in barns rather than cages. However, these barns are not the barns you might imagine. ‘Barns’ in the broiler chicken industry are massive warehouses, usually containing 25,000–50,000 birds each (see photo). Additionally, according to the British Egg Industry Council, 23% of egg-laying hens are confined in cages. Another 13% are housed in barns. Much like the broiler industry, the ‘barns’ for egg-laying hens (called ‘percheries’) are no more than sheds or warehouses, typically housing around 6,000 birds each. Even in barns, these hens are allotted little space or enrichment. Only one nest is required per seven hens. In fact, if group nests are used, only one square meter of nesting space is required for every 120 hens. 

Killing newborn chicks with CO2 gassing or meat-grinders

UK public disapproval rating: 84.5%   

Prevalence on UK farms: 100% of males in the egg industry (40–45 million animals per year)

Millions of newborn male chicks in the UK are slaughtered each year, as they are considered a waste product of the egg industry. Annual estimates range from 40 to 45 million chicks, the majority of which are gassed with argon (though other methods like maceration and CO2 gassing are also permitted). However, this practice is entirely unnecessary, even without a plant-based revolution to the food system. This is because in-ovo sexing is a feasible alternative — that is, determining the sex of an embryo at an early stage of development and terminating them before hatching. Moreover, the practice was recently recommended by the UK government’s Animal Welfare Committee after investigating the commercial readiness of the practice for the UK market and the resulting impact on animal welfare. However, it has not yet been implemented in the UK, meaning about half of all the chicks born into the egg industry today are immediately culled.

Cutting off beaks of newborn chicks

UK public disapproval rating: 86.8%       

Prevalence on UK farms: Exact data not found

Due to the unnatural and cramped conditions on factory farms, chickens may engage in feather pecking and even cannibalism. To avoid this, chicks in the egg industry often undergo beak trimming, or debeaking, via an infrared beam that removes up to a third of their upper and lower beak. Broiler chicks can also be debeaked, but because broiler chickens are killed so early into their life, the practice is deemed less necessary and thus is less common. With the sharp tips of their beaks removed, chickens may inflict less damage on their fellow flock mates. This is how debeaking is justified in the industry. However, this practice treats the symptom rather than the disease: factory farming. If they were not driven to aggression by intensive and crowded conditions on factory farms, such a practice would not be necessary.

The practice undoubtedly violates hen welfare. The beak is a complex and sensitive organ that serves functional and social roles. Beak trimming is a painful procedure, and one that also permanently inhibits the bird’s ability to engage in normal tasks, such as preening and picking up food. For an in-depth look at beak trimming, its consequences, and its alternatives, we recommend reading this report.