Regular locomotion scoring of dairy and beef cattle enables early detection of lameness, one of the most significant and prevalent welfare problems in cattle production.
Locomotion scoring provides a standardised welfare assessment tool that translates subjective observation into objective, comparable data. Regular scoring enables trend monitoring, benchmarking against industry targets, and measurement of intervention effectiveness. The simple, rapid nature of pen-side scoring removes the technical barrier to implementation; the remaining barriers are habit and commitment. Herds where scoring is normalised as part of routine management consistently achieve lower lameness prevalence.