Castration is a fundamental practice in livestock agriculture worldwide, serving multiple purposes from improving meat quality to enhancing worker safety. Recent scientific research is reshaping how farmers and veterinarians approach this procedure, with evidence-based protocols now emphasising both animal welfare and operational efficiency.
By Maile Matsimela, Digital Editor at African Farming
The Primary Reasons for Castration
Tyler Blackwood, Tyler Spore, Michael D Kleinhenz, William R Hollenbeck, Dale A Blasi and A J Tarpoff from Kansas State University conducted a comprehensive 2024 study comparing castration methods in feedlot cattle. Their research, published in the Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports, found that castration significantly affects both behavioural management and growth performance. The study concluded that “latex banding was the least detrimental castration technique for cattle entering the feedlot in terms of growth performance”.
Castration serves four primary functions in modern agriculture:
- Behavioural management
- Meat quality improvement
- Population control
- Health benefits
Castrated animals show reduced aggressive behaviour and territorial fighting, making them safer for farm workers to handle. The procedure also prevents the development of strong, undesirable flavours in meat, particularly what researchers term “boar taint”, while improving meat tenderness.
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Pain Management: Scientific Evidence
Recent research has fundamentally changed approaches to pain management during castration. A 2024 systematic review and meta-analysis published in the journal Animals and led by researchers from the University of British Columbia (UBC) found that “multimodal analgesia approaches combining local anaesthesia with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs significantly reduced blood cortisol levels during the first four hours post-surgery”.
The study authors, Emeline Nogues, Jane Stojkov, Biljana Jonoska Stojkova, Marina AG von Keyserlingk and Daniel M Weary from the Animal Welfare Program at UBC, emphasised that “the combination of local anesthetics and NSAIDs proves more effective than unimodal analgesia approaches”. Their research demonstrated that multimodal pain management provides superior stress reduction compared with single-method approaches.
The American Veterinary Medical Association has responded to such research by updating its guidelines, now recommending “local anaesthesia and systemic analgesia for both surgical and band castration”, according to the systematic review findings.
Pain Assessment Advances
Pain assessment has also evolved significantly. A 2024 Nature study led by Rubia Mitalli Tomacheuski and colleagues from North Carolina State University, the Federal University of Bahia and São Paulo State University validated the Unesp-Botucatu Cattle Pain Scale (UCAPS) for clinical use.
The researchers found that “both real-time and video-recorded assessment methods showed high reliability with minimal bias”, confirming that veterinarians can reliably assess pain in cattle undergoing castration. Their study demonstrated that “UCAPS is effective for guiding pain management in bulls undergoing surgical procedures like castration”.
South African Research Context
South African veterinary research has contributed valuable insights into castration practices suited to local conditions. The University of Pretoria’s Faculty of Veterinary Science at Onderstepoort has conducted studies on Bonsmara and Afrikaner calves, evaluating “the influence of castration method and age on growth and carcass traits” under extensive arid conditions.
University of Pretoria researchers have also investigated anti-gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) vaccines as alternatives to surgical castration. Research published in the Equine Veterinary Journal found that “two doses of Improvac® given 28 days apart effectively reduced testicular volume and post-surgical swelling” in horses, suggesting potential applications for livestock management.
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Current Best Practices
The Kansas State University research team found that “any castration technique of a surgical nature is not ideal for castrating cattle at the feedlot”. Their study recommended non-surgical banding as the preferred approach for feedlot conditions.
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However, the researchers noted practical limitations with alternative methods. While the Burdizzo clamp group “performed best among all castrated groups”, they found that “the labor-intensive process associated with applying the burdizzo clamp is impractical for cattle of this size”.
Regulatory and Welfare Guidelines
South African livestock castration is governed by welfare standards that specify age-based protocols. According to A Greener World South Africa guidelines, rubber rings may only be used without pain relief for calves up to one week old, while surgical and Burdizzo methods are permitted for calves up to two months old without mandatory pain relief. For older animals, the guidelines require that “pain relief must be provided for older calves under derogation”.
Future Directions
Research continues into welfare-friendly alternatives. The UBC team noted that “variability in castration methods, age of animals, drug protocols, and reported outcome measures” currently limits comprehensive best practice recommendations, highlighting the need for standardised research protocols.
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Emerging technologies include immunocastration vaccines and improved pain management protocols. The UBC researchers emphasised that future studies should avoid including “untreated control groups due to ethical concerns”, reflecting the profession’s commitment to improving animal welfare standards.
Economic Implications
The Kansas State University study showed that proper technique selection affects economic outcomes. Cattle that were castrated using appropriate methods showed better growth performance and feed conversion efficiency. Additionally, proper pain management helped maintain feed intake and reduce stress, which can otherwise negatively impact profitability.
Conclusion
Current research strongly supports the use of multimodal pain management combining local anaesthetics with systemic analgesics for all livestock castration procedures. The evidence from Kansas State University indicates that banding represents the optimal method for feedlot conditions, and UBC research confirms that proper pain management significantly improves animal welfare outcomes.
As Blackwood and his colleagues concluded, the choice of castration method must balance practical considerations with animal welfare requirements. South African producers implementing these evidence-based protocols position themselves advantageously in markets where animal welfare increasingly influences consumer choice and regulatory requirements.
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