Mastitis is the most costly and welfare-significant disease in dairy farming. Effective prevention and treatment strategies reduce suffering for millions of cows.
Mastitis welfare is one of the most significant recurring pain experiences in dairy farming. An acute mastitis case involves a swollen, hot, painful udder that causes the cow obvious distress - reluctance to be milked, reduced movement, and visible discomfort. Chronic subclinical mastitis may involve persistent lower-level pain that goes unrecognised. The welfare case for mastitis prevention - through excellent milking hygiene, teat condition monitoring, and appropriate dry cow management - is overwhelming. Farms with low somatic cell counts have healthier, less painful udders. Somatic cell count data, which is publicly available through AHDB, provides a welfare transparency tool for consumers interested in dairy cow welfare.