Technical staffs’ knowledge and attitudes survey regarding tail docking on dairy farms of Turkey

The study examined the knowledge, beliefs, and attitudinal drivers of technical staff and breeders regarding tail docking andthe incidence of docking on large-scale dairy farms (≥100 cattle) in Turkey. Survey responses were analyzed using the Mann−Whitney Utest to determine attitudinal differences between respondents who self-reported docking tails or not docking their cattle. Using face-toface interviews of 210 respondents at 206 Turkish dairy farms was carried out. Tail docking procedures were practiced on 27.1% of thesurveyed farms. At the time of the tail docking, 57.9% of cattle were less than 12 months of age. The most frequent tail docking methodwas amputation by rubber ring constriction (61.4%), with the following most common method being a surgical one (33.3%). The mostpreferred location for the tail docking was between the sixth and seventh coccygeal vertebrae (29.8%), followed by level with midudder(26.3%). The most common reasons given by respondents for docking tails were to increase hygiene (64.8%), the comfort of the workers(62.4%), and reduce the risk of mastitis (60.9%). The survey results of the present study indicated that, without clear regulations or laws,the tail docking of dairy cattle varies substantially with personal preference rather than scientific justification in Turkey. Technical staffand breeders should be educated and been aware of humane alternative methods (switch trimming) for tail docking in dairy cattle, andsocietal pressure and public perceptions considered about tail docking on Turkish dairy farms.