Systematic locomotion scoring of dairy cattle provides an objective, farm-level measure of lameness prevalence and is one of the most important tools for monitoring and improving herd welfare on a continuous basis.
Lameness is a condition of chronic pain that profoundly affects daily quality of life in dairy cattle. Lame cows spend less time at the feed fence, have lower feed intake, lose body condition, and show reduced social interaction. Their pain suppresses normal behaviour patterns including rumination and grooming. The welfare significance of lameness is compounded by its prevalence — in many herds, over one in four cows is lame at any given time. Systematic locomotion scoring converts an invisible welfare problem into a visible metric that farm managers can act on. Regular scoring, followed by prompt treatment of identified lame cows, reduces the duration of untreated pain and provides the data foundation for herd-level management improvement.