Pain for calves and lambs – long associated with marking procedures – should be a thing of the past, as animal welfare continues to remain top of mind with regulators, producers and the public.
However, in the current economic climate, some producers may see providing pain relief for livestock as cost prohibitive which can in turn, have a negative impact on the animal’s health and wellbeing.
In early 2023, Troy Animal Healthcare launched Butec, an oral transmucosal pain relief treatment for use at marking.
Developed in collaboration with CSIRO, Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) and Australian Wool Innovation (AWI), Butec is suitable for all calf and lamb marking procedures, and targets the chronic pain that causes stress, reduces immune system function and can ultimately lead to death in severe circumstances.
Butec is safe, simple to use and provides sustained relief from pain, with treated animals expressing normal behaviours, such as mothering up and grazing, more quickly than their untreated counterparts.
CSIRO has conducted numerous studies using BUTEC, with one study showing a seven-fold reduction in pain-related behaviours in merino sheep in the first 8 hours post castration and tail docking.
And, as the MLA said: “The provision of pain relief with routine husbandry practice is now an expectation”.
Likewise, farmers have seen positive results from BUTEC.
There is anecdotal evidence from one farmer lambs have been sold off approximately three weeks earlier than untreated stock, while another producer reported “the results were pleasantly surprising and at weaning time I saw an increased weaning percentage of 4 per cent – visually the lambs were bigger and stronger than the lambs where BUTEC was not used.
“The lambs post lamb marking had mothered up well and were straight back feeding on pasture showing no effects of the lamb marking process,” he added.
When considering the cost of delays in the return to normal behaviour and the stress put on farm workers, as well as the obvious costs in loss of animals, the use of Butec could pay for itself.
BUTEC is currently Troy’s fastest growing brand and is expected to grow further as lamb marking season rolls around again.
