Cows bred hornless to give ramblers a break

HORNLESS cows which are unable to gore farmers or threaten dog walkers are being bred by scientists.

Dr Alison Van Eenennaam, an animal geneticist at the University of California, discovered it is possible to splice the “hornless” gene from Aberdeen Angus cattle into the widespread blackand-white Holstein dairy cows so that they are born without protrusions.

Horned cattle cause significant risks for handlers, other stock, or members of the public. Only a few breeds, such as the Hereford and Angus do not have horns.

Most dairy cows in the UK go through a painful “dehorning” process when they are calves, which would be redundant. Hornless cows would also be easier to pack into pens and trucks, potentially saving the industry millions of pounds a year.

They will not be arriving soon, however, as regulators have not agreed that genetically engineered animals are allowed in the food chain.