LAMENESS in dairy cattle - the

subject of a stinging rebuke to the industry from the Farm Animal

Welfare Council last year - can and should be tackled by selective

breeding, according to scientists.

A five-year research programme carried out by Wye College, Kent, has resulted in the publication of a set of genetic indices for locomotion by the Holstein Friesian Society (HFS), which is urging breeders to take account of these as well as production traits.

''Poor dairy cow welfare is increasingly unacceptable both to the general public and to milk buyers, as well as being costly to producers,'' said Mike Coffee, the society's special project executive.

Lameness is calculated to cost the average 100-cow herd around #1200 a year.

Improved locomotion is estimated to have a heritability factor of about 10%, compared with around 25% to 35% for improved production, but officials are confident a long-term approach to the issue will provide low-cost, long-term gains in the form of reduced culling, udder damage and possibly mastitis, as well as improved longevity.

Production traits, such as milk or milk solids, should continue to top selection criteria, said David Hewitt, HFS head of breed development. But having made a short-list of sires,

farmers should take account of

locomotion indices, especially if

lameness is present in the herd.

Although the new scheme is billed as a world first, other countries such as the US, Canada and Holland are well ahead in terms of breeding out lameness, and officials said it was no surprise that Canadian-bred sires in the HFS register score well for locomotion.

The Wye work produced an index of locomotion ranging from one (poor) to nine (excellent).

This has been translated into standard deviations from the mean on the same minus three to plus three scale used for the expression of all genetic indexes for type in Britain. It is seen as a first stage in understanding the anatomical reasons for poor locomotion.

Meanwhile, another tool to help dairy farmers improve the health and welfare of their animals, as well as profitability, has been launched by

C-Vet Veterinary - Bovidec, a vaccination treatment for bovine viral diarrhoea.

The maker claims it can save #3500 a year in a 100-cow herd through improved fertility and reduced

reproductive losses.

More than 95% of UK dairy herds are believed to contain cows that have been exposed to the virus, which also causes mucosal disease, congenitally damaged calves and can result in abortions.