An Intervention Study for Reducing Lameness on GB Dairy Farms

Sole ulcer, white line disease and digital dermatitis are three common causes of lameness in the UK (Green et al, 2002). Risk factors associated with lameness include poor bedding comfort, reduced lying times, poor floor surfaces and exposure to slurry (Tucker & Weary, 2004; Somers et al, (2005); Mulling et al, 2006).

Previous interventions, successful as small controlled trials, include the use of topical antibiotic treatments and footbath solutions for the treatment of digital dermatitis (Manske at al, 2002) and biotin supplementation for the prevention of white line disease especially in older cattle (Hedges et al, 2001). There are currently no reports of an intervention study across a range of dairy farming systems in the UK. This study investigated the uptake of interventions by farmers and the effect of these farm specific interventions on locomotion and ...