Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is the single most significant health and welfare problem in feedlot cattle globally. Understanding its causes and prevention is essential for improving beef production welfare.
BRD causes fever, laboured breathing, nasal discharge, and if untreated, pneumonia and death. Even treated animals may suffer for days before responding to antibiotics. The welfare cost is compounded by the scale of the problem: millions of feedlot cattle experience BRD each year. The disease is fundamentally linked to the feedlot production model — mixing cattle of different origins under high-density conditions creates ideal conditions for respiratory pathogen transmission. Reducing BRD requires a systems approach: reducing transport stress, minimising mixing, improving housing ventilation, and investing in rapid diagnosis tools. Electronic monitoring for early disease detection is one of the most promising welfare technologies in the feedlot sector.