30All heifers were scored for lameness at 24 biweekly time points for 1 year following 31 calving, and first lactation milk production data were collected.

This chapter covers lameness in cattle and its control. The definition, incidence and prevalence, impact, heritability and causes of lameness are presented as well as farmer attitudes to lameness. Evaluation and monitoring of lameness are also discussed. Focus is given on treatment of clinical cases, routine foot trimming, foot bathing and disinfection, management of cow groups and movements, lying time and cubicle comfort, standing times and concrete surfaces, cleanliness and slurry management, tracks and walkways, nutrition and biosecurity as vital parts of lameness control in the herd.

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Artificial insemination of cattle became a commercial reality in 1936, and in 1952 the first calves were born as a result of freeze-thawed semen insemination. The long-held aspiration for pre determination of sex became a reality with the development of sperm sorting technology with the first female calves being born in the UK in 1999. While most breeding companies supply sexed semen sorted by the original flow cytometry method, Genus ABS have developed the method of sperm deactivation. Whatever the method sexing accuracy exceeds 90% and conception rates can be expected to be comparable to conventional semen but only when management is good and importantly there are considerable variations in the fertility of different bulls as a result of the sorting process. The use of sexed semen offers producers an opportunity to maximise the beef production from the dairy herd while accelerating genetic improvement.

Uterine disease is a common cause of infertility and thus economic loss in dairy herds, yet in many herds the true incidence of disease is unknown. Accurate monitoring, identification and recording are essential to highlight when the incidence of uterine disease is too high and intervention is required. While prevention is always preferable to cure, when cases of uterine disease do occur it is important that they are treated and managed correctly to reduce any further impact on subsequent performance. This clinical forum will review the different presentations of uterine disease and seek the opinions of an expert panel on their approach to its management, monitoring and investigation.

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