Calif. could outlaw cattle tail docking

Sacramento, Calif.

-- A California lawmaker is seeking to make cattle tail docking illegal.

California Senate Majority Leader Dean Florez introduced a bill Feb. 10 that would make the act of cutting a cow's tail a misdemeanor offense. An exception was included so that it would not apply to individual treatments performed "by a veterinarian for veterinary purposes," and only if the animal has been anesthetized, according to the bill.

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) proclaimed its opposition to routine tail docking in 2004.

The bill can be voted on by legislators after March 13. No further hearings have been scheduled.