DairyCo and NACFT to build national mobility database

DAIRYCO and the National Association of Cattle Foot Trimmers (NACFT) have started a joint project to build a national foot lesion database.

Category one foot trimmers will now begin to record incidence of foot lesions using standardised recording sheets provided by DairyCo.  These recording sheets on the trimmed cows and the lesions identified will be sent to DairyCo to input into a database, and copies will also be kept by the farmer and the foot trimmer.

According to DairyCo product manager Kate Cross the database will hold information on the prevalence of different lesions, stressing that all the data will be anonymous for the purposes of this work.

 

“This data will give us all a better picture of the true causes of lame cows, and will mean we can pin-point the research that needs to be done to address these problems," said Kate.  

 

“We’re collaborating with leaders in the world of mobility from Nottingham and Bristol Universities to collate this data, to ensure that it’s used as effectively as possible.

 

“In the future, there is the possibility that this data could be made available for use in genetic indices. This would eventually give producers the opportunity to link the mobility and lameness information into their own recording data through their recording organisation if they wished.”

The project is part of a series of activities and resources developed by DairyCo to address mobility, which includes the development of a DVD guide to mobility scoring, and the DairyCo mobility score system

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