Washington Legislation Aims to Ban Tail-Docking

Washington Representative Derek Stanford recently introduced legislation that will eventually eliminate tail docking in the state’s dairy farms, reports The Humane Society of the United States. Tail docking is when a tight ring is placed around a cow’s tail to cut off its circulation, causing it to eventually atrophy and fall off. Groups like the American Veterinary Medical Association, the National Milk Producers Federation, and The American Association of Bovine Practitioners are all opposed to the practice and if the legislation passes, Washington will be the fifth state to bar tail docking. “All major industry trade groups agree that this practice should be ended, and it’s time to codify this into law,” says Stanford.