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Given that we're fine with castrating and killing cattle, I don't think that branding is that big a deal. And, of course, it has the benefit, as mentioned in the article, of being visible at a great distance, as opposed to requiring a handheld scanner and close contact.

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I don't see the logic there. Either branding is cruel or it isn't. This issue should be decided on its own merits. Maybe castration should be done with anesthetic, or not done at all.

I read the article, my point was that you can't just ignore animal cruelty issues, or relegate their discussion to articles on artificial meat.

> Maybe castration should be done with anesthetic,

Uh, no. That's not the technique. The blood loss from your inferred surgical technique would lead to the death of the meat production device.

> or not done at all.

A testosterone filled bovine meat production device diverts its metabolic resources to typical bovine male activities, not manufacturing protein. That's no way to make a profit.

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