California Moves To Nip Tail Docking
Proposed legislation in California seeks to expand existing state law banning the docking of horse tails to dairy cows. An exception would be allowed if the tail docking was needed for the animal’s welfare; a recent study estimates that 10-15% of California’s cows are raised on operations where tail docking is practiced.
There are approximately 1.8 million cows raised for milk on 2,200 farms in California, the nation’s top dairy-producing state. A recent University of California Davis survey indicates that 10-15 percent of California cows are raised in operations where tail docking is practiced. The passage of this bill would make California the first state to ban the tail docking for dairy cows.