Lameness in dairy cattle is a well known issue with plenty of research exploring the effects on animal health and welfare, as well as the economic impact for farmers. However, lameness in the UK beef herd is less well characterised. Identifying the current levels of lameness and the main causes is the first step in developing an approach to reducing lameness in beef cattle. Another essential aspect is farmers’ perceptions of the problem. Ultimately, the farmer is responsible for the health and welfare of their animals. In terms of reducing lameness, farmers’ efforts to reduce disease incidence might be hampered if they haven’t recognised lameness as a problem or have trouble identifying clinical cases. This month we talked about lameness in beef cattle, and farmers’ perceptions of the problem with Jay Tunstall, a PhD student at IGH who recently published a paper entitled “Lameness in Beef Cattle: UK Farmer’s Perceptions, Knowledge, Barriers and Approaches to Treatment and Control.”

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2019.00094/full