Lameness is one of the most widespread welfare problems in dairy cattle, with comprehensive prevention programmes combining infrastructure, nutrition, and hoof care reducing prevalence significantly.
Dairy cow lameness is a welfare crisis hiding in plain sight across the UK dairy industry. An estimated one in five dairy cows is lame at any given time — experiencing chronic pain that reduces their activity, compromises their immune function, and shortens their productive life. The welfare cost is enormous. Yet lameness is substantially preventable: farms that implement systematic lameness control programmes — combining good cubicle design, regular hoof trimming, track and gateway management, and mobility scoring — achieve lameness prevalences of under 5%. The gap between achievable and actual lameness rates represents preventable suffering on a large scale.