Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD), also called shipping fever, is the most economically significant and welfare-impactful disease in beef cattle, particularly affecting cattle during transport and feedlot entry.
BRD causes substantial, often prolonged suffering. Cattle with respiratory disease experience fever, difficulty breathing, pain from lung inflammation and pleuritis, lethargy, and reduced feeding. Chronic cases — where lung damage is irreversible — endure long-term welfare compromise even if they survive. The disease is fundamentally linked to the stress and immune suppression caused by intensive management practices: long-distance transport, abrupt weaning, commingling of animals from diverse sources, and overcrowded feedlot entry. Preconditioning programmes — weaning, vaccinating, and adapting calves to feedlot conditions before sale — substantially reduce BRD incidence but are not universally adopted because the cost is borne by producers who may not receive financial credit for improved animal health.