Lameness is one of the most significant welfare problems in dairy cattle, causing chronic pain and reducing quality of life for millions of cows. Most lameness is preventable through good management.
Lameness causes persistent, severe pain in affected cows. Research using behaviour and gait analysis shows that lame cows spend more time lying down, move less, and have lower feeding motivation — all consistent with chronic pain. Many farms fail to achieve target lameness levels despite this being a welfare requirement in various assurance schemes. Pain relief, which is both cheap and effective, is frequently withheld from lame cows in commercial settings.