The role of vets in illegal Tail Docking

Since 2006, the UK government has banned routine tail-docking on pigs - a painful procedure which involves the cutting, clipping or cauterising of part of an animal’s tail in the first week after birth, typically performed on piglets in commercial farming.

The law that prohibits this practice, section 5 in the Animal Welfare Act 2006, states that tail docking may only be carried out ‘where measures to improve environmental conditions or management systems have first been taken to prevent tail-biting, but there is still evidence to show that injury to pigs’ tails by biting has occurred’

However, data shows that anywhere from 71% to 85% of pigs in the UK have their tails docked each year. With some data going as high as 9.5 million of the ten million pigs farmed in the UK having their tails docked.

Vets play a critical role in this, as their written approval is needed before tail docking takes place!

Before approving, their role is to ensure animal welfare by advising farmers on tail biting prevention strategies, monitoring compliance with regulations, and administering pain relief if tail docking is deemed necessary.

The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) is the regulatory body responsible for overseeing that veterinarians abide by the law and their Code of Practice. We suspect it is not complying with its supervisory duty. 

The law is clear: tail docking should not be performed as a routine procedure. It should only be used as a last resort and the RCVS should make sure that frontline vets are not encouraging illegality.

Vets are crucial actors in safeguarding the health and welfare of animals. It is their duty as guardians of ethical standards of the veterinary profession to ensure animals receive their legal protections. 

The Animal Law Foundation works to close the gap between what the law says and what is happening in practice, and the role of vets is no exception to this. 

Credit: Christopher Shoebridge / GenV