Beef cattle in feedlots face welfare challenges from high stocking densities, respiratory disease, and dietary management issues that affect millions of animals annually.
Feedlot cattle experience respiratory disease - the animal equivalent of pneumonia - at rates that would be considered unacceptable in any other context. Subclinical acidosis from high-grain diets causes chronic digestive discomfort in many animals throughout the finishing period. Crowded conditions in wet weather create mud that causes foot disease and prevents normal resting and movement. Despite these welfare issues, feedlot beef dominates the global market. Precision livestock farming tools that detect illness earlier reduce the duration of undetected suffering.