Mastitis is the most costly disease in dairy farming and one of the most significant sources of pain and welfare compromise, yet it is substantially preventable through good management practices.
Mastitis is the quintessential example of a welfare problem where prevention clearly serves both animal welfare and farm economics. The pain of mastitis — a warm, swollen, painful quarter producing abnormal milk — is significant and often undertreated. Best practice dairy farms with mastitis rates below 5% demonstrate what is achievable through rigorous prevention: meticulous teat hygiene, regular milking machine checks, effective dry cow therapy, and prompt treatment of early cases with pain relief. These practices are not expensive — they are knowledge and attitude, making farmer and veterinary education the primary welfare lever for mastitis prevention.