New Rules for Cattle Dehorning

March 31, 2023

Animal welfare has always been a topic of concern for various animal rights organizations and animal lovers around the world. In India, the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act was implemented in 1960 to prevent the mistreatment of animals. Recently, the Central Government announced new rules on March 27, 2023, to prevent cruelty to animals during specific procedures, including dehorning of cattle and castration, branding or nose-roping of any animal. In this article, we will discuss the new rules and their implications.

Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act

The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act is the law in India that aims to prevent the mistreatment of animals. Section 11 of the Act defines the acts that amount to treating animals with cruelty. Subsection 3 of Section 11 of the Act allows for exceptions for animal husbandry procedures. However, it also requires that these procedures be performed by a registered veterinary practitioner.

New Rules on Animal Welfare

The Central Government’s new rules specify the procedures for dehorning of cattle and castration, branding, or nose-roping of any animal. The rules also require the use of pain-reducing methods during these procedures. Additionally, the law suggests that tagging, branding, and radio-telemetry devices should be placed on dead tissues.

The rules demand that the breeding of naturally hornless cattle should be preferred over dehorning. Furthermore, the rules prescribe a methodology for euthanasia for ill animals to avoid a painful death.

Implications of the New Rules

Animal rights non-profit organizations, such as Prevention of Cruelty Against Animals (PETA) India, have welcomed the new rules. They believe that these rules will help prevent the mistreatment of animals during these procedures. However, there are concerns regarding the effective implementation of these rules.

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