Lameness is the leading welfare problem in dairy cattle, causing chronic pain and economic loss. Evidence-based prevention programs can dramatically reduce its prevalence.
Dairy cattle lameness represents one of the most prevalent and tractable welfare problems in modern farming. Chronic hoof and leg pain causes lame cows to lie more, eat less, lose body condition, and have reduced reproductive success — cascading welfare harms from a single condition. Most lameness is preventable through proactive hoof trimming schedules, appropriate nutrition (particularly biotin supplementation), well-maintained surfaces, and effective foot bathing programs. Farms that implement systematic lameness monitoring and treatment protocols achieve lameness rates below 5% — demonstrating that high rates are management failures, not inevitable.