Engaging farmers in the need for regular foot trimming

Lameness is the most important welfare concern being faced by the dairy industry and leads to decreased milk production, reduced fertility and increased culling rates. The prevalence varies hugely between farms and very low levels of lameness are achievable. Most farm animal veterinarians are no longer regularly involved in the treatment of lame cows, but they still have a key role to play.

Farmers with a high level of lameness in their herd often become accustomed to seeing it, so motivating them to prioritise the problem with their time and investment can be challenging, as lame cows will still produce milk. Unlike herds which fail to maintain adequate milk quality, farms with unacceptable levels of lameness can keep selling their milk, so it is often not identified as the most important area to focus on.

However, the benefits of improving mobility are significant. It is important to identify the best way to motivate an individual farmer to tackle a lameness issue. If a mobility score has been performed, then the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB, 2024a) cost calculator can be used to demonstrate the potential economic gains. If not, then highlighting the cost per case of lameness is the next best option. It was estimated in 2009 that the average lameness case was costing dairy farmers £330 (Wilshire and Bell, 2009), and this will have increased significantly over the last 14 years.