Practical solutions for surplus calves

This morning (Wednesday 27 July 2011) The Sun newspaper reported on the shooting of a male dairy calf at a farm supplying milk to the chocolate industry. 

Farm animal welfare charity, Compassion in World Farmings CEO, Philip Lymbery comments: The shooting of male dairy calves is a serious issue of ongoing concern. Compassion welcomes the work done by leaders in the food and farming community to reduce this animal welfare problem. We encourage the food and dairy industry to continue making commitments to rearing their male calves for beef and not simply shooting them at birth. 

The serious issue of shooting male dairy calves at birth, or exporting them live to be reared in continental Europe as veal, continues.  There is a real need to find practical and economically viable solutions for male dairy calves to be reared in the UK, in high welfare systems, to meet the demands for beef on domestic and international markets.

Much work has been conducted in this area by specialist calf-rearing producers, companies and retailers.   At the Good Farm Animal Welfare Awards earlier this month Compassion in World Farming celebrated leading companies in the food industry that are committed to using higher welfare systems to improve the lives of cows and calves in their dairy supply chain. Among those presented with a Good Dairy Award were Green & Blacks, Yeo Valley, The Co-operative, and Ben & Jerrys.

The Beyond Calf Exports Forum was convened in June 2006 by Compassion in World Farming and RSPCA, with leading stakeholders in the UK beef and dairy industry, retailers, Defra, academics and animal welfarists. The aims of the forum are to increase the number of male dairy calves reared for beef in the UK; to reduce the numbers of calves being shot on-farm, and to move beyond live export. The forum encourages breeding strategies that produce more robust and healthier calves which would increase the value of the dairy calf to the UK beef industry.

1. There has been a great increase in the number of calves reared in higher welfare UK systems for beef or veal since the Calf Stakeholder Forum was set up.  Figures show an increase from 257,846 in 2007 to 419,575 in 2010. That is an increase of over 160,000 (63%) calves reared for beef or veiled and so saved from shooting or export.

1. Compassion in World Farming was founded over 40 years ago in 1967 by a British farmer who became horrified by the development of modern, intensive factory farming. Today we campaign peacefully to end all cruel factory farming practices. We believe that the biggest cause of cruelty on the planet deserves a focused, specialised approach so we only work on farm animal welfare.