Ban on Tail Docking: Who Cares?

A bill to ban the process of docking tails on dairy cattle was passed by the California state Senate last week.

Supporters of the measure say the bill's passage is a significant victory for animal welfare. Dairy industry officials said the matter wasn't very important because very few dairies still employ the practice.

The legislation has been a priority for the Humane Society of the United States. According to a legislative analysis of the bill, tail docking involves removing one third to two thirds of a cow's tail. It has been done to make it easier for people to work around dairy cows, to help keep cows' udders clean and to improve milk quality. But the Humane Society claims that there really aren't significant advantages to the practice.

"Docking cows' tails causes them acute pain and leaves them unable to swat away insects," Humane Society said in a statement. "Docking is normally done by rubber-band constriction when the cows are very young."

So far, there hasn't been any formal opposition to the bill.