So I just watched the episode of the UK show Kill It Cook It Eat It on veal and they brought up an interesting point that I would like to share. During the production of milk you need the cows to be pregnate. If the offspring turn out to be male then they are almost worthless because the veal market is so low in the UK. Surprisingly it is actually worse on organic dairy farms because they can't sell the calfs to other countries so on the farm they showed 60% of the bull calfs are just shot at one week and their bodies are burned since it would cost more to raise them for veal then they are worth. Now this all takes place in the UK but I am guessing that it is a similar problem in the United States.
Now the part I'm not sure is the same in the US as in UK is how the veal is treated. From what I saw on the show it was nothing like the traditional view I had of how veal calfs are raise. They could move around, lay down, and were kept with other animals. They were even fed some grain as opposed to just milk. All considering they seemed to be kept pretty well and defiantly better then what would have happened if they weren't being raised for veal meat.
I am going to have to do more research on how veal is treated in the United States but after watching this show I am actually more alright with eating veal since from a dairy perspective these animals need to exist and it is just wasteful to shoot them after 1 week and burn them.
I love veal. And a while ago I decided I like veal more than I like baby cows. But it's nice to know they aren't keeping them in boxes or whatever anymore.
hadees said:
So I just watched the episode of the UK show Kill It Cook It Eat It on veal and they brought up an interesting point that I would like to share. During the production of milk you need the cows to be pregnate. . . .
Just a technicality really, but pregnant cows don't produce milk. Cows that have given birth produce milk.
PaulNikon said:
Don't milk cows lactate all the time?
The production of milk requires that the cow be in lactation, which is a result of the cow having given birth to a calf. The cycle of insemination, pregnancy, parturition, and lactation, followed by a "dry" period before insemination can recur, requires a period of 12 to 16 months for each cow. Dairy operations therefore included both the production of milk and the production of calves, or veal.
Have to agree.. shooting is better than suffering, but i mean come on, you could still try and eat the bull calf. Its meat after all and you just don't waste meat.
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hadees
Austin, TX
December 2003
JAN 11, 2008 09:02 AM