Lameness affects up to 40% of UK dairy cows and represents one of the most significant preventable welfare problems in the industry.
Lameness causes chronic pain that affects walking, lying, social interaction, and the ability to compete for feed. Lame cows have lower milk production, reduced reproductive performance, and higher culling rates. The chronic welfare deficit — cows experiencing daily pain from an avoidable condition — is unacceptable on ethical grounds regardless of economic considerations. The economic alignment (lameness is expensive) creates an opportunity for welfare arguments to gain traction in farming communities that might otherwise resist them.