Farmed Animals

Mobility Scoring as a Welfare Tool in Cattle

Regular mobility scoring is a validated and practical tool for assessing and improving welfare in dairy and beef cattle herds.

Key Facts

Mobility scoring classifies cows from 0 (perfectly mobile) to 3 (severely lame)
Regular scoring at a minimum of every 4 weeks enables early intervention
Farms with regular mobility scoring programs have lower lameness prevalence
Mobility scoring can be performed by trained stockpersons with good reliability
Data from mobility scoring drives targeted intervention and housing improvements

Welfare Considerations

Mobility scoring provides a practical, validated system for identifying and tracking lameness in cattle herds. Regular scoring enables early detection before animals deteriorate, allowing prompt treatment and investigation of risk factors. Farms that implement systematic mobility scoring programs demonstrate lower lameness rates and better welfare outcomes. Standardised scoring also enables benchmarking and improvement over time.

What You Can Do

Advocate for mobility scoring as a mandatory welfare assessment requirement
Support farmer training in validated mobility scoring techniques
Raise awareness about mobility scoring as a practical welfare tool
Support welfare assurance schemes that require documented lameness monitoring
Encourage integration of mobility score data into routine farm planning