California Bans Dairy Cow Tail Docking
CALIFORNIA, US - A bill to ban "docking" the tails of dairy cows in California was passed by the state Senate Tuesday on a 25-12 vote.
28 May 2009
1 minute read
State Sen. Dean Florez, D-Shafter, the author of Senate Bill 135, hailed the vote as a significant victory for animal welfare, reports ChicoER.
However, a dairy industry official said the matter wasn't very important because very few dairies still employ the practice.
According to ChicoER, Florez said eliminating tail-docking has been a priority for the Humane Society of the United States, which sponsored the legislation.
According to a legislative analysis of the bill, tail docking involves removing one third to two thirds of a cow's tail. It has been done to make it easier for people to work around dairy cows, to help keep cows' udders clean and to improve milk quality. But studies show there really aren't significant advantages to the practice, the analysis cited.
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