DAIRY CATTLE LAMENESS AND HIDDEN COSTS
Lameness in dairy cattle directly affects two aspects: Animal welfare and farmer financial stability; and these implications apply on a worldwide scale. Affected cows experience pain and discomfort, reducing their ability to express their natural behaviours, causing stress, and changes in behaviour and productivity.
A recent study showed an average prevalence of 22.8% of lameness (Thomsen et al., 2023), highlighting the economic losses at multiple levels. Some indicative direct and indirect (commonly also called “hidden”) costs are
- Decreased milk production: Cows with lameness experience reduced milk yield and the milk fat and protein profiles are lowered, leading to losses in revenue. Studies estimate that lameness can reduce between 163 to 570 litres of milk per 305-day lactation per affected cow (Penev & Stankov 2015, Amory et al., 2008, Green et al., 2002).
- Reduced fertility and reproductive performance: Lameness can impair fertility and reproductive success in dairy cows with reduced odds of pregnancy to first service by 21% and are more likely to lose pregnancies by 5.3%, leading to overall longer calving intervals and decreased efficiency in breeding programs (Omontese et al., 2020).
- Increased culling rates: Lameness often leads to premature culling of affected cows due to decreased productivity or chronic pain. The culling costs in a typical UK herd have been estimated at 24% of the annual lameness-associated costs (Willshire and Bell, 2009).
- Veterinary and treatment expenses: Treating lameness requires labour costs associated with additional hoof trimmings and other management practices as well as veterinary care and medication in infectious or more severe cases. These expenses can add up, impacting further the farm’s profitability.
While the economic impact of lameness is clearly depicted by the numbers, there are ways to deal with this problem and improve animal welfare and farm profitability. Implementing proactive management strategies such as continuous monitoring, regular foot trimmings and maintenance, improving flooring and housing conditions, and providing a proper and balanced diet can go a long way.
If you want to optimise dairy farm profitability and animal welfare by managing lameness, please share your insights and experiences with us and stay connected with Hoofsmart with our survey or via our contact form!
Do you want to know how much lameness is potentially costing you – try the AHDB lameness cost calculator