New lameness manifesto launched to 'improve cow welfare'

 The GB Dairy Cow Lameness Manifesto, developed by the Dairy Cattle Mobility Steering Group and supported by Ruminant Health & Welfare and the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), outlines 21 action points to ensure cases of lameness become minimal in the national dairy herd.

Dairy Cattle Mobility Steering Group chairman, Professor Martin Green from Nottingham University, said the industry’s efforts to reduce lameness have plateaued in recent years. Estimates suggest the national herd has a lameness prevalence of around 30 per cent.

“The actions outlined in this industry-led manifesto should drive at least a 10 per cent relative reduction in lameness prevalence year-on-year on a national scale," he said, "until at least 95 per cent of all British dairy herds achieve a lameness rate of less than 5 per cent by 2044."

“This will not only improve cow welfare, but also reduce the industry’s carbon footprint and safeguard the social license of British dairy farming.”

Professor Green said the action points within the manifesto – which is backed by farmers, processors, and industry bodies – are spread across four key strategy areas - including all dairy herds, using farm-specific preventive plans to empower farmers to act, ensuring that the implementation of all relevant knowledge and technology becomes the norm, and, finally, incentivising farmers to achieve good foot health.

Action points include encouraging every farm to record whole herd lameness prevalence and adopt a farm-specific lameness reduction action plan, such as the ‘Healthy Feet’ programme, harnessing genetic gain by using sires with lameness resistant traits, and sourcing milk from herds that can demonstrate their lameness levels at least on a six-monthly basis.

 “We’re not expecting everyone to adopt every action point in the manifesto, but if we can get lots of parties from different areas of the industry working together – and everyone doing their bit – then overall, lameness in the national herd will reduce over the years,” said Professor Green.

 “It’s very possible to achieve minimal levels of lameness as we now have the tools to do so – including genetic improvements and a rise in the number of different technologies available to identify lameness.

“Working together is the best chance we have of substantially reducing lameness in our dairy cows – and that’s important not only for cow welfare, but also for the profitability and sustainability of our industry.”

 He is calling on everyone involved in the dairy sector – from individual farmers to milk processors, vets and other advisers – to pledge their support for the initiative by becoming a signatory of the manifesto.

 The manifesto can be accessed at https://ruminanthw.org.uk/dairy-cow-lameness/