Calves are generally reared in groups in sheds some with access to pasture and fed milk or milk replacer and then a grain-based ration. This specialist calf-rearing method results in pink-coloured meat called rose veal. Vealers or weaners are beef breeds raised on pasture with their mothers. This method of calf rearing results in a light red veal. The system of veal production where calves spend their entire lives in individual crates with solid wooden sides that do not allow the animal to turn around or express natural behaviours, has never been used in Australia.
Veal crates have been illegal in the UK and Europe since but are still used in some countries. There is more work to do — tens of thousands are still shot every year around 95, in and thousands are exported to the continent over 19, in , mostly from Northern Ireland. Although the veal crate was banned across the EU in January , Compassion has welfare concerns about standard EU veal production.
In intensive veal farms, all three of these are compromised by periods of confinement in veal crates or barren environments , malnutrition and distress and long-term social development problems caused by early separation from their mothers. Young calves are also often subjected to long distance journeys — which can last days — for fattening and slaughter. Naturally, calves suckle their mothers for up to a year, and maintain a strong bond with her for several years. However in commercial dairy farming, nearly all calves are taken away from their mother within hours of birth.
This diet is designed to keep their flesh pale in colour. These calves are reared in groups from when they are around eight weeks old. The size of the groups range from a few calves up to 80, and minimum space allowances per calf are laid down by law. However, calves need enough space to lie down and stand up, groom themselves, move around, explore and interact socially. The calves are typically housed on wooden slats and there is no requirement for bedding material after the first two weeks.
Fully slatted floors can make standing and lying down extremely uncomfortable for calves. They can cause foot injuries and lameness. Again, evidence shows that the EU minimum iron requirement may be too low for full health and robustness.
Anaemia damages the immune system and causes calves to be weak, lethargic and probably feel unwell. Although these calves have a healthier diet, they may still be reared in low welfare systems. Every year, almost one million calves are transported on very long journeys across Europe, although evidence shows that young calves are particularly vulnerable to the stresses of handling and transport. They are unable to regulate their body temperature to cope with the extremes of heat and cold during long journeys.
They often suffer bruising and weight loss as a result of the discomfort of transportation and lack of space and comfortable bedding. The longer the distance the greater the stress; many calves become ill or die after they arrive at the rearing farms. Banned within the EU, narrow veal crates are still used in the US and many other countries.
These make it impossible for calves to turn around and many are tied by the neck. In order to keep their flesh pale and tender, the calves kept in crates are fed on an unhealthy diet of milk or milk replacer, usually without any solid food. Calves can become seriously anaemic due to the lack of iron and their rumen does not develop properly due to the lack of solid and fibrous food.
The French market, on the other hand, is the largest in the world, accounting for 35 percent of European veal consumption, which in turn accounts for 82 percent of global veal consumption.
The next big veal consuming countries are Italy and Germany. The Netherlands produces the largest amount of veal, accounting for 31 percent of global veal production.
France is close behind at 30 percent, killing some 1,, calves in Veal has been marketed as a healthier and greener alternative to beef. However, whether it is healthier than beef is a different question to whether it is healthy overall.
Veal contains roughly milligrams of cholesterol per grams, over a third of the daily limit. However, the very idea of daily cholesterol limits is out of fashion; current advice is to consume as little dietary cholesterol as possible.
In a world where plant-based protein is abundant, there is no need to consume veal or other cruelly manufactured animal products. It supposedly has a more delicate flavor, despite the distinct absence of delicacy in its manufacture. There are extensive outdoor and indoor methods of producing veal that works on a much better welfare basis.
These indoor options have bedding for the calves, access to the outdoors and ventilation, and more space per calf. The outdoor options are the best for calves, and the highest standard organic farms suckle calves on an older, retired dairy cow.
They also require veal calves to have sufficient fiber and iron in their diets. Suckler herds allow veal calves to stay with their mothers and be weaned off their milk before slaughter. As it avoids the pain of separation, and calves get the psychological and health benefits of staying with their mother, this can be a higher welfare option.
UK standards require calves to have bedding, and for younger calves to consume twice the fibrous food of continental calves.
The minimum amount of iron in their diet is also supposed to be higher, and older calves should be provided with more room than is required in Europe. Veal is legal because there is still demand it. The shocking nature of its production has led to bans on the most egregious forms of veal rearing, like the use of veal crates and the procurement of slink veal. Yet veal remains legal because animals have no recognizable rights in countries across the globe.
Ultimately, as long as consumers refuse to change their eating habits, the way that veal is made and indeed the treatment of any food animals will remain in the hands of an agricultural industry that seeks to maximize profit and creates massive suffering as a result.
There is only one sure-fire way to make sure you do not contribute to the practice of veal raising and slaughter; to exclude veal and dairy from your diet. Since veal calves are largely provided by the dairy industry, as a byproduct of breeding milk cows, the two industries are inextricably linked. Supporting dairy means the support of the veal industry and the killing of thousands of animals. Veal has tried to restore its reputation and rebrand itself as something free from the stain of cruelty that blemished its name for so long.
Yet in the U. It is unclear if an industry that kills baby cows who do not want to die, sometimes before they have even suckled from their mother, can ever call itself humane. That remains the nature of the veal industry and it typifies the indifference of industrial agriculture toward animals at large. UK based writer opposed to the unnecessary suffering of all beings.
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