Lameness affects 20-40% of dairy cows in intensive farming systems and represents one of the most widespread and painful welfare problems in the global livestock industry.
Lameness causes persistent pain that affects nearly every aspect of a cow life — her ability to reach food and water, her position in the social hierarchy, and her reproductive performance. Lame cows move less, feed less, and are more likely to be culled. The high prevalence of lameness across industrial dairy systems means that pain is a routine experience for a large fraction of dairy cows at any given time.