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The use of in-depth interviews to understand the process of treating lame dairy cows from the farmers’ perspective

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2023

SV Horseman ,
EJ Roe ,
JN Huxley ,
NJ Bell ,
CS Mason  and
HR Whay
SV Horseman*
Affiliation:
University of Bristol, School of Veterinary Sciences, Langford, Somerset BS40 5DU, UK
EJ Roe
Affiliation:
University of Southampton, University Road, Southampton, Hants SO17 1BJ, UK
JN Huxley
Affiliation:
University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, Leics LE12 5RD, UK
NJ Bell
Affiliation:
The Royal Veterinary College, University of London, Hawkshead Lane, Hatfield, Herts AL9 7TA, UK
CS Mason
Affiliation:
Scotland's Rural College, St Mary's Industrial Estate, Dumfries DG1 1DX, UK
HR Whay
Affiliation:
University of Bristol, School of Veterinary Sciences, Langford, Somerset BS40 5DU, UK
*
* Contact for correspondence and requests for reprints: [email protected]
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Abstract

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Interventions aimed at improving animal welfare on farms may be more successful if greater attention is paid to the points of view of farmers. For example, understanding how different dairy farmers detect lame cows, decide to treat them, get them to the point of treatment, and how practical considerations that impact on this process may be important for reducing lameness on dairy farms. In-depth interviews with twelve dairy farmers were carried out to explore how this occurred on their farms. This in-depth approach allowed a number of factors influencing lameness treatment to be uncovered. The language used by farmers to describe lameness gave important insight into their perceptions of lameness and into the value they placed on prompt treatment. Farmers’ perceptions of lameness were found to affect the speed of treatment, with treatment of cows perceived to have impaired mobility or to be less severely lame sometimes delayed. Other priorities on the farm, skilled labour availability, farm infrastructure and farmers’ emotional responses to lameness treatment were all found to impact on whether or when a lame cow was treated. In order to encourage farmers to promptly treat all lame cows their perceptions of lameness and the benefits of prompt treatment must be addressed. The language used when communicating with farmers about lameness may be key to achieving this. The practical barriers, such as time and labour constraints, associated with the treatment process, must also be understood, taken into account and seen in the context of the farm management as a whole.

Keywords

animal welfaredairy cattlefarmerlamenessqualitativetreatment
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Welfare , Volume 23 , Issue 2 , May 2014 , pp. 157 - 165
Copyright
© 2014 Universities Federation for Animal Welfare

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