Lameness prevalence in a random sample of UK dairy herds

• Published in: Veterinary record Vol. 184; no. 11; p. 350
• Main Authors: Randall, Laura Vee, Thomas, Heather J, Remnant, John G, Bollard, Nicola J, Huxley, Jon N
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BMJ Publishing Group Limited 16-03-2019; Blackwell Publishing Ltd
• Subjects: Agricultural production; Agriculture; dairy cattle; Dairy farms; Dairy industry; Data collection; Disease; epidemiology; Estimates; Horticulture; lameness; Milk; Risk factors; Studies; Veterinary medicine; England; Midlands (England); United Kingdom > UK; Wales; epidemiology; lameness; dairy cattle
• ISSN: 0042-4900; 2042-7670
• DOI: 10.1136/vr.105047

E-mail for correspondence; [e-mail] Obtaining accurate estimates of the levels of a disease in the national dairy herd is challenging, not least due to difficulties in recruiting truly random samples. Accurately quantifying population disease levels has proved particularly difficult for lameness because both incidence and prevalence data are problematic, as described in a previous review.1 Most existing information is based on non-random and potentially biased data sets (eg, farms contracted to aligned milk supply groups or members of farm assurance schemes) and lameness is often recorded by partial observers (eg, farm staff). Data analysis was conducted in Minitab V.17.2.1 (Minitab) and MLwiN V.2.36.6 Table 1 Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board Dairy mobility scoring system Category of score Score Description of cow behaviour Good mobility 0 Walks with even weightbearing and rhythm on all four feet, with a flat back. A multivariable linear regression model was constructed to investigate associations between herd lameness prevalence and herd size, breed, 305-day milk yield and annual duration of housing; no significant associations were found.Table 2 Summary for herd size, 305-day milk yield and herd lameness prevalence across 43 herds in the Midlands region of the UK visited during April–May 2014 Mean (SD) Range IQR Herd size 152.1 (98.1) 50.0–475.0 88.0–166.0 305-day yield (kg) 7515.2 (1564.3) 3500.0–11000.0 6550.0–8600.0 Lameness (mobility score≥2) (%) 30.1 (12.8) 7.3–60.6 20.7–40.0 Mobility score=2 (%) 26.0 (10.3) 6.9–46.3 18.8–34.0 Mobility score=3 (%) 4.1 (3.7) 0–14.4 1.1–6.1 This is the first UK study to provide estimates of lameness prevalence using a methodology aimed at generating a random sample of herds.