Comprehensive respiratory vaccination programmes in cattle reduce Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) burden, preventing significant suffering in calves and growing cattle.
Respiratory disease causes significant suffering through fever, dyspnoea, lethargy, and painful pleuritis. BRD survivors frequently have permanent lung damage affecting welfare throughout their productive life. Comprehensive vaccination programmes prevent this suffering proactively. The welfare benefit of effective respiratory vaccination extends beyond preventing acute disease - reducing antibiotic treatment requirement also supports stewardship goals.