Automated lameness detection using gait analysis and pressure plates enables earlier identification of painful lameness than visual observation alone.
Lameness causes chronic pain that is frequently underdetected because cattle are stoic and manual observation is infrequent. Automated systems catch lameness earlier, when treatment is most effective and suffering duration is minimised. The welfare benefit of early detection is significant - mild lameness caught early resolves faster with less treatment than severe lameness that has progressed undetected.