Protection of Animals Kept For Farming Purposes Act 1984 (Bovine Animals) (Prohibition on Tail Docking) Regulations 2003 (S.I. No. 263 of 2003).

These Regulations prohibit removal or mutilation of the tail or part of the tail of a bovine animals except in limited circumstances. The Rule shall not apply to the removal of the tail of a bovine animal: (a) under and in accordance with a licence granted under section 8 of the Cruelty to Animals Act 1876, or (b) after administration of an anaesthetic, by a registered veterinary surgeon where, in his or her opinion, it is necessary for the proper treatment of disease or injury in a single animal.