This document summarizes a presentation on lameness in dairy cows and its impacts on welfare and farm sustainability. A simulation model was used to estimate the prevalence and economic costs of different foot disorders in dairy herds. Subclinical disorders were found to account for 32% of total costs of €53 per cow annually. Digital dermatitis caused the highest costs due to its high incidence and clinical prevalence. Welfare impacts were also estimated based on pain levels associated with different disorders. Improving foot health was determined to benefit both welfare and farm economics through reduced production losses and improved sustainability.

1. Lameness, cow welfare and
sustainable farming
Henk Hogeveen
together with
Mariëlle Bruijnis and Elsbeth Stassen

2. Sustainable farming
Literally: The capacity to endure
For dairy farming: Care for:
Environment
Cow welfare
--------
But also
Social responsibility
and decent profit

3. Claw health
Important for welfare
Associated with economic losses
Prevalence 80% (!!!)
No reduction of incidence and prevalence
Farmers don’t put measures into action
Underestimation of problem

4. In this presentation…..
Introduce different foot disorders
Model to simulate foot disorders in a dairy herd
Economic consequences of different foot
disorders
Welfare consequences of different foot disorders
Conclusion

5. A healthy claw

6. Different foot disorders
Sole haemorrhages
and
White line disease
Interdigital dermatitis/
heel horn erosion
Interdigital hyperplasia
Digital dermatitis
Sole ulcer (corns, tyloma)
(Mortellaro’s disease) Interdigital phlegmon

7. Simulation model
No foot disorder,
healthy (H)
PSH PHS PHC PCH
Subclinical foot PSC Clinical foot
disorder disorder
(S) (C)
PCUL
Culled
(Cul)

8. Modelling assumptions
Assumptions (Dutch circumstances):
cubicle housing
concrete floor
pasturing
two foot trimming interventions/year
7 different foot disorders

9. Simulated prevalence
35.00%
30.00%
Clinical
Subclinical
25.00%
Prevalence, %
20.00%
15.00%
10.00%
5.00%
0.00%
SoH
SoH
SoH
SoH
SoH
SoH
SoH
SoH
SoH
SoH
SoH
SoH
SUL
SUL
SUL
SUL
SUL
SUL
SUL
SUL
SUL
SUL
SUL
SUL
DD
DD
DD
DD
DD
DD
DD
DD
DD
DD
DD
DD
IDHE
IDHE
IDHE
IDHE
IDHE
IDHE
IDHE
IDHE
IDHE
IDHE
IDHE
IDHE
IP
HYP
IP
HYP
IP
HYP
IP
HYP
IP
HYP
IP
HYP
IP
HYP
IP
HYP
IP
HYP
IP
HYP
IP
HYP
IP
HYP
WLD
WLD
WLD
WLD
WLD
WLD
WLD
WLD
WLD
WLD
WLD
WLD
C =15 C = 17 C = 18 C = 11 C = 11 C = 12 C = 12 C = 13 C = 14 C = 11 C = 12 C = 13
SC = 52 SC = 57 SC = 62 SC = 33 SC = 37 SC = 41 SC = 45 SC = 48 SC = 51 SC = 32 SC = 41 SC = 49
January February March April May June July August September October November December

10. Add consequences to simulation model
No foot disorder,
healthy (H)
PSH PHS PHC PCH
Subclinical foot PSC Clinical foot
disorder disorder
(S) (C)
PCUL
Culled
Economic consequences: Economic consequences: (Cul)
- Milk production losses - Milk production losses
- Prolonged calving interval - Prolonged calving interval
- Welfare impact: - Labor dairy farmer
- Estimated pain - Costs foot trimmer
- Costs veterinarian Economic consequence:
- Treatment - RPO-value
- Discarded milk
- Welfare impact:
- Estimated pain

11. Economic effects
Total costs (default input, The Netherlands)
Per farm (65 cows) : €3,474 per year (€2,282 to €4,965)
Per cow : €53 per cow/year
Costs of subclinical foot disorders: 32%
Average clinical foot disorder: €67/case
Average subclinical foot disorder: €13/case
Digital dermatitis gave highest costs
(high incidence, high clinical prevalence)

12. Cost components
Visit of veterinarian
Treatment
Visit of foot trimmer
Discarded milk
Labour of the dairy
farmer
Milk production losses
Prolonged calving
interval
Culling

13. Modelling welfare impact
Foot disorder
Pain
Physical abilities, Affective state, Behavioural abilities
health frustration and needs
Functioning Feelings Natural living
Welfare aspects bases on Fraser et al. 1997

14. Further steps
Pain estimation
Based on locomotion score and pathophysiology
Using literature and expertise
Calculation welfare impact
Herd level (including incidence)
Cow level (per case of foot disorder)
Weighing pain and duration
Questionnaire among experts

15. Weighing pain and duration
Experts:
Pain 0.65 and Duration 0.35, st dev: 0.20
Varying opinions on relative importance Duration
Pain more important than duration
1 2 3 4 5
1 12.1 21.7 35.7 43.9 50.7
2 26.4 42.4 53.6 61.4 63.6
Pain 3 45.0 56.4 70.0 76.4 80.0
4 62.1 75.7 85.7 89.9 92.9
5 82.9 88.6 94.3 96.4 98.6

16. Estimated welfare impact per case
Subclinical
Clinical
0.10
0.08
Relative impact
0.06
0.04
0.02
0.00
IP IDHE DD SoH WLD SUL HYP

17. Impact foot disorders at herd level
costs, clinical welfare, clinical
35% costs, subclinical welfare, subclinical
30%
25%
Relative impact
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
E
IP
YP
LD
D
L
H
H
SU
D
So
ID
H
W

18. Welfare vs economics
3.0
2.5
DD
SoH
average welfare impact per cow
2.0
IDHE
1.5
DD
1.0
SUL
IDHE
SoH
0.5 HYP
WLD
WLD
HYP
IP
0.0
0.0 2.0 4.0 6.0 8.0 10.0 12.0 14.0 16.0
average cost per cow (€/yr)

19. Concluding remarks
Subclinical foot disorders have substantial impact
Indirect cost factors (e.g. milk production losses, culling)
high
Likely to cause underestimation of problem
Costs due to foot disorders are substantial:
€ 53 per cow/year (mastitis: € 78 per cow/year)
Increase dairy farmer awareness and stimulate action
Costs and welfare consequences correlated
Welfare improvement more likely

20. Finally
Welfare improvement touches loss reduction
What about “welfare” of culled cows?
Improving dairy cow foot health
Improves sustainability
What are the effects of prevention (vs costs)?
Co-ordinated approach towards farmers

21. Thank you
for your
attention!