Livestock

Cattle Lameness: Locomotion Scoring and Welfare 2026

Lameness is the most significant welfare problem in dairy cattle globally and systematic locomotion scoring is the foundation of effective prevention and treatment programmes.

Key Facts

An estimated 25-30% of UK dairy cows are lame at any one time in many herds
Lameness causes chronic pain, reduces feed intake, impairs reproduction and reduces lifespan
Locomotion scoring systems (typically 1-5 scales) allow systematic herd-level welfare assessment
Most lameness is preventable through appropriate flooring, nutrition, and early intervention

Welfare Considerations

Lameness causes severe chronic pain that significantly impairs welfare, affecting the ability to compete for food, engage in social behaviour and express normal movement patterns. Welfare priorities include regular locomotion scoring to identify lame cows early, prompt treatment within 24-48 hours of identification, reviewing flooring, cow tracks and nutrition as root causes, and monitoring treatment outcomes through recovery tracking.

What You Can Do

Implement fortnightly locomotion scoring of the milking herd as a standard welfare practice
Treat all cows scoring 3 or above within 48 hours of identification
Review and improve flooring, tracks and cow comfort as systemic causes of lameness
Use herd lameness data to benchmark against national targets and identify improvement priorities