Economic considerations of breeding for polledness versus disbudding in beef cattle

The domestication of animals has rendered horns less necessary for survival. Moreover, the use of polled and disbudded animals is interesting in order to avoid injuries of animals and handlers, among other advantages. We therefore conducted a comparative economic analysis of different traditional disbudding techniques versus selective breeding for polledness in Nelore cattle, the main beef breed of tropical systems in Brazil. The cost to obtain animals without horns was estimated in three different scenarios: disbudding with hot iron, disbudding with caustic paste, and phenotypic selection for polled animals. Price quotations of the materials were obtained in different states of the country and averaged. An initial frequency of horned animals of 92.16% was obtained based on the records of the Brazilian Association of Zebu Breeders. Selective breeding was found to be the best cost-effective scenario. This result differs from intensive production systems of dairy cattle in which traditional disbudding continues to be the best cost-effective scenario. The main explanation is the lack of difference in the price of Nelore semen from polled and horned bulls. Phenotypic selection for polled animals is the best cost-effective method, and it is in accordance with welfare practices. Care should be taken regarding the intensive use of few polled breeding animals in order to avoid inbreeding depression in other traits.