The Healthy Feet Programme is a multi-stage programme run by vets that have undergone further mobility mentor training, the programme brings together information about the farm foot health performance and risks into action planning team discussion.

The steps are as follows:

1. Find your baseline

• Whole herd mobility score (ROMS accredited scorer)
• Complete the Preliminary Questionnaire

2. Visit the farm – Data inspection – approx 3 hours

• Inspect 6 lame cows (score 2’s ideally and new cases )
• Review foot trimming and lameness records
• Devise ‘Lameness Map’
• Enter data from visit into lameness cost calculator

3. Visit the farm – Farm risk assessment  –  approx 3 hours

• Full farm risk assessment – this should be minimum 3 hours and include some of milking
• There are two risk assessment versions ordered by success factor or farm walk, both cover the same content

4. Facilitated team discussion  – 1 hour max

• Arrange a time with the whole farm team to discuss previous visits
• Draw up ‘lameness contract’ using the action planner (page 1) helping the farm team to understand where lameness critical control points are and their own action plan.
• This must be farmer led

5. Ongoing  monitoring

• Arrange regular catch ups and reviews of the data.
• Ideally quarterly ROMS scores should be done to monitor progress
• As a minimum aim for 2 weeks, 2 months then 6 monthly reviews