A late-August letter from the secretary of the Israeli Cattle Breeder's Association (ICBA) to ICBA members focuses on recent investigations by the Ministry of Agriculture officials into dairy farms. Cow welfare problems are central to the letter: "The public of breeders is called upon to enhance consciousness and sensitivity to this important domain, in order to prevent unnecessary suffering to cattle and negative image to those who work in this sector."

The letter stresses that dehorning with paste (which contains caustic soda, a tissue-burning chemical) is allowed only when calves are no older than 10 days; afterwords, dehorning by any means is allowed only with the administration of analgesia, by a veterinarian. (It is therefore evident that using the burning chemical on younger calves requires no painkillers).

Another specific instruction refers to downed cows: it is forbidden to load them on trucks unless the District Veterinarian issued a special permission.

The ICBA letter was sent after a July 10 letter by the Director of The Israeli State Veterinary Services and Animal Health (VSAH) warned owners and managers of dairy farms: "There is a growing interest by animal protection activists in activities on animal farms in general and on dairy cattle farms all over the country in particular. The Veterinary Services receive many calls and complaints in writing, with photographs 'from the field', about inappropriate breeding conditions and breaches of the Animal Welfare Act. Many times, what a cattle breeder perceives as natural and normative does not seem so to those who are not used to ordinary farm sights or those with a different worldview. Please follow regulations and procedures, for your sake and the animals' sake."

The VSAH also stresses that using electric shocks in order to get cattle to move is forbidden since 2006, and it is "harmful and unnecessary". The letter specifies two such practices:

* The use of electric prod on the animal's head and other sensitive parts is forbidden at all times; and electric prodding is forbidden in general, except for "unusual and rare cases" and after attempting other, less harmful methods.

* The use of electric gates on dairy farms is totally forbidden. Such gates ("electric dogs") are used as a means to urge cow movement towards the milking parlor. The gate produces electric shocks, and it is currently offered for sale by at least one Israeli company (Afimik).

The VSAH letter is a response to complaints by Anonymous for animal Rights. Surely, no new alertness of dairy workers will prevent all cow abuse, since much abuse is inherent to the industry. Nevertheless, the presence of critical eyes (and cameras) can reduce some cruelties.

פורסם במקור ב-Animal Rights in Israel (דף פייסבוק, כיום For Anonymous Animals), בתאריך 7.9.2013 (התאריך מציין ככל הנראה מועד תיקון).