Lameness in dairy and beef cattle causes both significant economic losses and serious animal welfare compromise, yet treatment rates remain inadequate in many commercial operations.
Lameness in dairy cattle is simultaneously one of the most prevalent, most economically costly, and most welfare-significant problems in dairy production — yet it persists at high levels in most commercial herds. The disconnect between the strong economic case for lameness prevention and the continued prevalence of the problem suggests that economic incentives alone are insufficient to drive adequate welfare improvement. Regulatory standards requiring maximum lameness prevalence levels, with routine locomotion scoring to verify compliance, represent the welfare intervention with the greatest potential for large-scale impact in dairy cattle welfare.