Lamb welfare: proposed changes to castration and tail docking methods

Summary

Seeking views on proposed changes to the methods used for lamb castration and tail docking.

This consultation is being held on another website.

This consultation closes at
11:59pm on 9 March 2026

We want to know what you think about proposed changes to the methods used for lamb castration and tail docking to improve animal welfare.

We’re proposing to:

increase the accessibility of new methods that have been shown to be less harmful to welfare than traditional methods
require the use of pain relief for methods that are known to cause significant pain
set restrictions on who can carry out each method, how and when

We also want to gather more information on the impacts this may have on animal welfare and on the industry.

Published 12 January 2026