Abstract
Lameness in dairy cattle remains a significant welfare concern for the UK dairy industry. Farms were recruited into a 3-yr study evaluating novel intervention approaches designed to encourage farmers to implement husbandry changes targeted toward reducing lameness. All farms completing the study were visited at least annually and received either monitoring only (MO, n=72) or monitoring and additional support (MS, n=117) from the research team. The additional support included traditional technical advice on farm-specific solutions, facilitation techniques to encourage farmer participation, and application of social marketing principles to promote implementation of change. Lameness prevalence was lower in the MO (27.0±1.94 SEM) and MS (21.4±1.28) farms at the final visit compared with the same MO (38.9±2.06) and MS (33.3±1.76) farms on the initial visit. After accounting for initial lameness, intervention group status, and year of visit within a multilevel model, we observed an interaction between year and provision of support, with the reduction in lameness over time being greater in the MS group compared with the MO group. Farms in the MS group made a greater number of changes to their husbandry practices over the duration of the project (8.2±0.39) compared with those farms in the MO group (6.5±0.54). Because the lameness prevalence was lower in the MS group than the MO group at the start of the study, the contribution of the additional support was difficult to define. Lameness can be reduced on UK dairy farms although further work is needed to identify the optimum approaches.
Highlights
Lameness in UK dairy cattle remains an important welfare concern that has been highlighted as an areaStudies have explored the husbandry-related risk factors associated with lameness
Using information from the farms recruited for this study, Barker et al (2010) reported that risk factors in the housing and grazing environments associated with increased lameness were the presence of damaged concrete in pens, cows pushing each other or turning sharply near the parlor entrance or exit, cattle grazing pasture grazed by sheep, and the use of automatic scrapers
When Bell et al (2009) provided detailed advisory support to 30 dairy farmers based on the specific lameness risk factors present on their farms, no significant reduction in lameness prevalence in heifers was observed over the course of 1 yr
Summary
Lameness in UK dairy cattle remains an important welfare concern that has been highlighted as an area. Studies have explored the husbandry-related risk factors associated with lameness. Using information from the farms recruited for this study, Barker et al (2010) reported that risk factors in the housing and grazing environments associated with increased lameness were the presence of damaged concrete in pens, cows pushing each other or turning sharply near the parlor entrance or exit, cattle grazing pasture grazed by sheep, and the use of automatic scrapers. The substantial amount of information available about lameness-related risk factors led the UK Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC, 2009) to suggest that “Dissemination of existing knowledge about lameness to many farmers and stockmen is needed.”. Apart from a relatively small intervention study with organic farms (March et al, 2008), no reported intervention studies have demonstrated a positive effect on levels of lameness in dairy cows
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