30 April 2024

Shedding light on the cost of lameness

A recent paper published in the Veterinary Ireland Journal has shed light on the potential costs associated with lameness in Irish dairy herds.

Authored by Muireann Conneely, Teagasc Research Officer, and Eoin Ryan, Professor in veterinary science, UCD, the paper discussed the effects that lameness has on the key drivers of farm profitability.

“Lameness is a costly condition and can be a significant source of lost profit for farmers. The other great cost is to the welfare of the cow herself. Taking steps to reduce lameness prevalence within the herd will improve cow welfare and increase farm profitability,” Conneely and Ryan explained.

The authors described lameness as “any deviation from the normal walking gait of an animal, and is a clinical sign of a number of different conditions, rather than a disease in itself.

“The vast majority of lameness in dairy cows is due to lameness involving the foot, with the lateral claw of the hind leg and the medial claw of the foreleg most commonly affected due to the importance of these as the primary weight-bearing claws.”

As part of the paper, previous research was cited showing the prevalence of lameness within Irish dairy herds. A study completed in Moorepark in 2022 showed that the average prevalence of lameness on Irish dairy farms was 9%, while a further study from the same research centre in 2021 showed that the best performing farms had fewer than 5% lame cows in their herds, indicating that a low level of lameness is achievable within a pasture-based system.

The costs

The paper highlighted the causes of lameness – both infectious and non-infectious – and the impacts such can have on the profitability of dairy farming systems. Along with the welfare cost to the cows, the authors noted that the financial costs associated with lameness are significant and consist of direct and indirect costs.

“Direct costs include additional expenditure that is directly linked to the case of lameness, such as additional farm labour, cost of hoof trimming and veterinary treatment, decreased milk production, and the cost of milk withdrawal if milk has to be discarded owing to drug treatments, while indirect costs arise due to the side effects of lameness. These include reduced reproductive performance and early culling.”

Conneely and Ryan also presented the financial implications of lameness on milk production, reproductive performance and cows leaving the system. A simple calculation was used to estimate the cost of digital dermatitis, White Line Disease, sole ulcers and foot rot – “the most important conditions for an individual cow in Ireland”. Total costs/case/cow for digital dermatitis, White Line Disease, sole ulcers and foot rot were estimated at €201.14, €226.67, €536.52 and €308.14, respectively.

The authors also presented the data on the basis of the costs of lameness for a 100-cow herd, in three different lameness prevalence scenarios. They note that the calculation outlined in the table below can be tailored to each individual herd based on the prevalence of lameness and lesion types identified.

Table 1: Modelled herd costs of lameness cases for 100 cows/year

Visit the Veterinary Ireland Journal website to access the full paper.

Also read: Reducing lameness in Irish dairy herds