Lameness is the most common and welfare-significant chronic condition in dairy cattle, affecting millions of cows annually with significant and often preventable suffering.
Lame cattle experience chronic pain that affects every step, reducing their ability to compete for feed, rest adequately, and maintain body condition. The welfare burden of lameness across UK dairy herds is substantial and largely preventable. Early detection through mobility scoring and prompt treatment, combined with preventive hoof trimming, surface management, and cubicle design, can halve herd lameness rates in motivated herds.