Procedure |
Age of animal at which procedure may be carried out |
Anaesthetic requirement for procedure at specified age |
Other conditions |
Cattle |
Castration: carried out by means of a rubber ring or other device to constrict the flow of blood to the scrotum |
7 days or under |
Not required |
 |
Castration: carried out by means other than a rubber ring or other device to constrict the flow of blood to the scrotum |
Under 2 months |
Not required |
 |
2 months or over |
Required |
 |
Embryo collection or transfer, by a surgical method |
Any age |
Required |
 |
Ovum transplantation, including ovum collection, by a surgical method |
Any age |
Required |
 |
Vasectomy |
Any age |
Required |
 |
Dehorning |
Any age |
Required |
 |
Disbudding: carried out by chemical cauterisation |
7 days or under |
Not required |
 |
Disbudding: carried out by a method other than chemical cauterisation |
6 months or under |
Required |
 |
Removal of supernumerary teats |
3 months or over |
Required |
 |
Pigs |
Castration |
Under 7 days |
Not required |
The method does not involve tearing of the tissues |
7 days or over |
Required |
i The method does not involve tearing of the tissues
ii Must be carried out by a veterinary surgeon
iii. Additional prolonged analgesia must be given.
|
Vasectomy |
Any age |
Required |
 |
Nose ringing |
Any age |
Not required |
The pig must not be kept continuously in an indoor husbandry system |
Tail docking |
Under 7 days |
Not required |
i. Other measures to improve environmental conditions or management systems have first been taken to prevent tail biting but there is still evidence to show that injuries to pigs' tails by biting has occurred
ii. The method involves quick and complete severance of the tail |
7 days or over |
Required |
i. Other measures to improve environmental conditions or management systems have first been taken to prevent tail biting but there is still evidence to show that injuries to pigs' tails by biting has occurred
ii. Must be carried out by a veterinary surgeon
iii. The method involves quick and complete severance of the tail
iiii. Additional prolonged analgesia must be given
|
Tooth reduction |
7 days or under |
Not required |
i. Method must consist only of the uniform reduction of corner teeth by means of grinding or clipping
ii. An intact, smooth surface is left
iii. Other measures to improve environmental conditions or management systems have been taken in order to prevent tail biting and other vices but there is still evidence that injuries to sows' teats or other pigs' ears or tails by biting has occurred |
Tusk trimming |
Any age |
Not required |
May only be carried out where there is evidence to show it is necessary to prevent injury to other animals or for safety reasons |
Birds |
Beak trimming of poultry ("poultry" includes laying hens - and chicks intended to become laying hens - which are kept on establishments where there are less than 350 such birds) |
Any age |
Not required |
i. It is performed using a suitable instrument
ii. It is performed either:
- on both the lower and upper beaks and not more than one third of each is removed, or
- on the upper beak only and not more than one third is removed.
iii. Any subsequent haemorrhage from the beak is arrested by cauterisation. |
Beak trimming of laying hens - and chicks intended to become laying hens - which are kept on establishments where there are 350 or more such birds |
Under 10 days
(unless where the procedure is carried out in an emergency in order to control an outbreak of feather pecking or cannibalism) |
Not required |
i. It is performed using a suitable instrument
ii. it is performed using infra-red technology (unless where the procedure is carried out in an emergency in order to control an outbreak of feather pecking or cannibalism)
iii. it is performed either:
- on both the lower and upper beaks and not more than one third of each is removed, or
- on the upper beak only and not more than one third is removed
iv. any subsequent haemorrhage from the beak is arrested by cauterisation
v. may only be carried out in order to prevent feather pecking or cannibalism
vi. may only be carried out by a person who has been provided with suitable and sufficient information, instruction and training so that they are qualified to perform the procedure |
Beak trimming of conventionally reared meat chickens |
Under 10 days |
Not required |
i. It is performed using a suitable instrument
ii. it is performed either:
a. on both the lower and upper beaks and not more than one third of each is removed, or
b. on the upper beak only and not more than one third is removed
iii. any subsequent haemorrhage from the beak is arrested by cauterisation
iv. may only be carried out in order to prevent feather pecking and cannibalism
v. may only be carried out by a person who has been provided with suitable and sufficient information, instruction and training so that they are qualified to perform the procedure
vi. may only be carried out following a consultation and on the advice of a veterinarian.
|
Neck tagging of farmed ducks |
3 days or under |
Not required |
To be carried out only for the purposes of a breed improvement programme |
Web notching of farmed ducks |
3 days or under |
Not required |
To be carried out only for the purposes of a breed improvement programme |
Web tagging of farmed birds |
Any age |
Not required |
To be carried out only for the purposes of breed
improvement programmes or testing for the presence of disease |
Wing tagging of farmed bird |
Any age |
Not required |
To be carried out only for the purposes of breed
improvement programmes or testing for the presence of disease |
Desnooding of turkeys |
21 days or under |
Not required |
To be carried out either by manual pinching-out or with a suitable instrument. |
De-toeing of domestic fowl and turkeys |
3 days or over |
Required |
To be carried out only if considered necessary by a veterinary surgeon |
Dubbing of domestic fowl |
3 days or over |
Required |
It shall be carried out only if considered necessary by a veterinary surgeon |
Laparoscopy |
Any age |
Required |
 |
Sheep |
Castration: carried out by means of a rubber ring or other device to constrict the flow of blood to the scrotum |
7 days or under |
Not required |
|
Castration: carried out by means other than a rubber ring or other device to constrict the flow of blood to the scrotum |
Under 3 months |
Not required |
 |
3 months or over |
Required |
 |
Vasectomy |
Any age |
Required |
 |
Dehorning |
Any age |
Required |
 |
Tail docking: carried out by means of a rubber ring or other device to constrict the flow of blood to the tail |
7 days or under |
Not required |
Sufficient tail is retained to cover the vulva of a female sheep or the anus of a male sheep. |
Tail docking: carried out other than by means of a rubber ring or other device to constrict the flow of blood to the tail |
Any age |
Required |
Sufficient tail is retained to cover the vulva of a female sheep or the anus of a male sheep. |
Goats |
Castration: carried out by means of a rubber ring or other device to constrict the flow of blood to the scrotum |
7 days or under |
Not required |
 |
Castration: carried out by means other than a rubber ring or other device to constrict the flow of blood to the scrotum |
Under 2 months |
Not required |
 |
2 months or over |
Required |
 |
Vasectomy |
Any age |
Required |
 |
Dehorning |
Any age |
Required |
 |
Horses |
Castration |
Any age |
Required |
 |
Vasectomy |
Any age |
Required |
 |
Deer |
Castration |
Any age |
Required |
 |
Vasectomy |
Any age |
Required |
 |
Removal of antlers that are not in velvet |
Any age |
Not required |
i. The deer are farmed deer [or, where they are not farmed deer, are kept on land in the same manner as if they were farmed deer]
ii. Only the non-sensitive part of the antler is removed |
Other species |
Castration |
Any age |
Required |
 |
Vasectomy |
Any age |
Required |
 |