Systematic approaches to reducing lameness - the leading welfare problem in dairy cattle.
Cattle lameness represents a massive, chronic welfare problem that is simultaneously one of the most economically significant issues in dairy farming - creating a strong incentive for industry action that has been only partially realized. Lameness causes pain measurable through behavioral changes, altered lying time, and reduced feed intake, with severe cases causing suffering comparable to the worst welfare conditions in livestock farming. The tools for prevention and early detection exist and are well-evidenced, but require consistent implementation across farm teams that is difficult to maintain under the labor pressures of modern dairy farming.