Animal Husbandry Practices and Procedures Rules 2023

Notification New Delhi, the 20th March, 2023

Animal husbandry procedures.-

The procedure of dehorning of cattle, and of the castration or branding or nose roping of any animal shall be done only by a registered veterinary practitioner:

Provided that under section 30 of the Indian Veterinary Council Act, 1984, the State Government shall notify for Persons holding a diploma or certificate of veterinary supervisor, stockmen or stock assistant for performing a minor veterinary procedure under the close supervision or direction of a registered veterinary practitioner.

THE GAZETTE OF INDIA : EXTRAORDINARY [PART II—SEC. 3(i)

The following is the procedure in respect of Animal Husbandry, namely:-

(i)Castration

(ii) dehorning or disbudding;

(iii) branding; and

(iv)  nose-roping.

1-Manner for castration: – (1) The castration of an animal shall be performed at early age as possible using anesthesia and analgesia under the recommendation or supervision of a registered veterinary practitioner and where practical, the animal shall be castrated before the optimal age, i.e. in case of bovine animals three to six months, sheep and goat eight to twelve weeks of age (preferably older than three months), equine six to twelve months, piglet four to fourteen days and dog six to nine months of age, or at the first available handling opportunity beyond this age using the method available that causes least pain or suffering to the animal.

(2) the castration of an animal shall be done in the following manner, namely:-

(a) The animal shall be blind folded and humanely handled before and during the procedure;

(b) General and local anaesthetics shall be given to animals prior to castration, irrespective of the

method used;

(c) During anaesthesia, animal shall be placed on a soft ground on lateral recumbency with the head

elevated;

(d) castration through surgical method shall ensure Halsted’s principles and castration through

physical method using Burdizzo clamp to ensure strict asepsis; and

(e) Post-procedural analgesics shall be given to animals under the recommendation or close

supervision of a registered veterinary practitioner.

2-Manner for dehorning and disbudding: – the dehorning and disbudding of an animal shall be done in the following manner, namely:-

(a) The animal shall be blind folded and humanely handled before and during the procedure;

(b) Administration of sedatives, analgesics and local anaesthesia shall be provided to animals under the

recommendation and supervision of a registered veterinary practitioner.;

(c) post-procedural analgesics shall be given to animals under the recommendation and close supervision of a registered veterinary practitioner.;

(d) Wherever selection and breeding of polled (naturally hornless) cattle is preferred as a policy, dehorning and disbudding shall be discouraged; and

(e) “The animal shall be given post-operative care to provide sterile wound healing conditions.”

3.Manner for branding.- the branding of an animal shall be done in the following manner, namely:-

(a) Alternative identification methods such as ear-tagging, ear-notching, tattooing and use of radio frequency

identification devices shall be preferred for the identification of an animal;

(b) Hot branding shall only be carried on dead tissues such as hoof in the case of horses or horn in the case of cattle;

(c) The depth of branding shall not exceed third or fourth of the thickness of the dead tissue of the horn or hoof;

(d) The animal shall be blind folded and humanely handled before and during the procedure;

(e) Sedatives and pre-emptive analgesics shall be administered to animals under the recommendation or

supervision of a registered veterinary practitioner; and

(f) Post-procedural analgesics shall be administered to animals under the recommendation or close

supervision of a registered veterinary practitioner.

4.Manner for nose-roping.- The nose roping shall be done in the following manner, namely;-

(a) Nose roping of an animal shall be permissible only as a last resort after exhausting methods to handle and restrain the animal by the use of face halter, blind folding, and by adopting humane behavioral methods including offering treats such as molasses, groundnut cake and green grass, as well as verbal and physical cues such as calmly talking to and gently stroking the animal;

(b) Sedative and pre-emptive analgesics shall be given before piercing the nasal septum;

(c) a sterile instrument for piercing the nasal septum shall be used under the recommendation and supervision of a registered [भाग II—खण्ड 3(i)] भारत का रािपत्र : असाधारण 9

(d) Ropes made of natural fibre and smooth or non-abrasive material shall be used for nose-roping; and

(e) Post-procedural analgesics shall be administered to the animal under the recommendation or close

supervision of a veterinary practitioner.

5.Manner for Euthanasia of animals.-(1)The Euthanasia of an animal shall be carried out under the following circumstances, namely:-

(a) when the Central Government or the State Government who finds any animal which is so diseased that, it can spread the disease, in order to control such disease; and

(b) if the registered veterinary practitioner certifies that the animal is mortally injured or so severely injured or in such a physical condition that it, shall be cruel to keep it alive.

(2) ‘The euthanasia shall be performed with the consent of the owner of the animals or custodian of the animals in writing.

(3) The euthanasia shall be performed in a method where minimum handling and movement of the animal is required and by following any of the procedures laid down by the World Animal Health Organisation or by the Committee for the Purpose of Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals for humane killing of an animal under the supervision of a registered veterinary practitioner;

(4) Euthanasia shall be done in the following manner, namely:-

(a) the animal shall be blindfolded, the handling and control of animal shall be humane, aimed at minimizing fear, pain and distress;

(b) Animals to be euthanised shall be given sedative if found to be anxious or in a state of fear or if there are concerns over the safety of the animal or the handler under the supervision of a veterinarian;

(c) no animal shall be euthanised in the presence of another live animal;

(d) the animal shall be given an overdose of anaesthetic to cause rapid anaesthesia and irreversible

Unconsciousness, and followed by respiratory depression, hypoxia and cardiac arrest; and

(e) The registered veterinary practitioner shall not leave the premises until it is certain that the animal is dead.

  1. Prohibited practices that are cruel and harmful. – The following activities shall be considered as cruel

activities for the purposes of these rules, namely:-

(a) Inserting more than one rope through the nose;

(b) use of unnatural, abrasive or sharp materials such as nylon, plastic and others for nose roping;

(c) Elastration (banding the body part using rubber rings; on the scrotum for castration and on tail for

docking) in adult cattle;

(d) Induced cryptorchidism (to prevent descend of testicles);

(e) Minor veterinary services carried out without the supervision and direction of a Registered Veterinary Practitioner;

(f) Any other invasive veterinary procedure which are not listed under these rules and are carried out without anesthesia by someone other than a Registered Veterinary Practitioner; and

(g) Freeze branding (cold branding) and hot branding on live tissues.

  1. Penalty for Contravention of rules. – Contravention of any of the provisions of these rules shall be punishable offence and shall be punished in accordance with the provisions of sections 11, 12 and 13 of the Act.

[F. No. V-11011/18/3/2019-(SR)]

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