Available automated mobility scoring and lameness detection systems in the UK

Lameness remains one of the most important welfare and productivity challenges the dairy industry is facing; delayed detection is still an important limiting factor for effective control on many farms. This article provides an update on automated systems that are currently marketed in the UK for mobility scoring and lameness detection. Camera-based systems, wearables and radar sensor technologies are considered in this article. Particular attention is given to the type of output generated by each system, the validation work available and the practical meaning of performance accuracy. Some systems have encouraging evidence from commercial farm studies, including large scale validation studies relying not only on human scorers as ground truth, but also on lesion records and intervention trials. Others currently rely more on company data or proof-of-concept work. Automation is becoming a realistic aid to lameness management, but system choice should be based on farm needs, strength of evidence and how outputs will be used more effectively in practice.