Marking procedure
Hot-Iron Branding
Permanent ownership burn
Graphic image
This photograph shows Permanent ownership burn.
Graphic image
This photograph shows Permanent ownership burn.
What it is
A heated iron is pressed against the animal's skin, burning a permanent scar in the shape of an identification or ownership mark.
Where it sits in the system
The mark is permanent, and that is the point: proof of ownership that cannot fall out or be swapped.
Welfare concern
The iron burns the skin. The animal is left with a painful open wound, inflamed and exposed to infection.
Worth being precise about
Branding produces exactly the permanent mark it is designed to produce. Electronic and visual identification systems identify the same animal without a burn.
