What is ‘disbudding’?

Disbudding is the removal of horn buds on calves to prevent their horns from growing and is carried out to: reduce animal injuries and damage to hides; improve human safety; reduce damage to facilities; and to facilitate transport and handling. Disbudding is also necessary to comply with Regulations under the Diseases of Animals Act, (1966) which prohibits the sale or export of horned animals.

Disbudding procedures must be carried out in compliance with the Protection of Animals (Amendment) Act (1965). It is advised that a cauterisation method (i.e. using a heated disbudding iron) is used to remove the horn buds and in a custom-built calf dehorning crate to minimise stress to the calf and for optimum safety to the operator. Thermal cautery is permitted up to 28 days, under S.I. 127 of 2014.

It is illegal to disbud calves over 14 days old without using a local anaesthetic, which can only be administered by a vet or in the vet’s immediate presence. Those performing disbudding of calves or should be trained and competent in the procedures and be able to recognise the signs of complications.
What is the average lifespan of an Irish dairy cow?

The maximum lifespan of a dairy cow can be around 20 years. However, the lifespan of cows used for commercial milk production is generally 5-6 years as they usually progress to the beef supply chain following 4-5 lactation cycles. This is more viable as milk production can decline around that time.