Exposing the Veal and Dairy Industries

by Gene

For citizens concerned about farm animals, the cruel exploitation of calves raised for veal has always been an issue of great concern. The calves are taken from their mothers at birth, and chained by their necks in 2-foot-wide wooden enclosures that prevent them from even turning around or lying down comfortably throughout their short, painful lives. Farm Sanctuary has worked for decades to expose the truth behind veal production, and we’ve seen a continuous reduction in the per capita consumption of veal nationwide. Thankfully, some states are now passing laws to ban this cruel form of confinement.

In Ohio – one of the six largest veal producing states – the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board (OLCSB) is slated to discuss the veal issue soon. Earlier this summer, an agreement was reached between animal advocates and agribusiness representatives to phase out veal crates along with other egregious farming practices in Ohio, but it’s ultimately up to the OLCSB to officially put an end to one of the cruelest factory farming practices in existence.

Over the years, Farm Sanctuary and others have documented the intolerable suffering experienced by calves raised for veal, including in Wisconsin, the nations’ largest veal producing state. In the production, “Life Behind Bars,” Mary Tyler Moore contrasts how calves want to live with how they are confined in veal factories. This week, a new investigative video narrated by Bob Barker was released by Mercy For Animals and exposes cruelty at an Ohio veal farm. As a result, Costco has announced that they are removing crated veal from their store shelves.

It’s critical for Ohio citizens to contact the OLCSB to advocate for an end to veal crates and other cruel confinement systems. Meanwhile, all U.S. citizens can advocate for passage of the Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act in Washington, D.C. to eliminate the use of veal from confined calves, as well as eggs from battery caged hens and meat from pigs kept in gestation crates in various federal programs like the National School Lunch Program. Please urge your U.S. Representative to cosponsor H.R. 4733.

Finally, it’s important to understand that the veal industry would not exist without the dairy industry. For dairy cows to produce milk, they have to be impregnated and give birth. Half the calves born are male, and they are useless to the dairy industry so the veal industry was created to use this plentiful supply of unwanted male calves. A few years ago, we released a video, called “Behind the Mustache,” that exposes this link between the veal and dairy industries, and includes the story of three Holstein calves who escaped from a certain early death to live their lives at our California shelter.

Throughout our history, we’ve rescued an estimated 100 male dairy calves, many who would have died at the hands of the veal industry had we not intervened.  Unfortunately, we can’t rescue them all, and laws take time, but there is one thing that you can do to save lives every time you sit down for a meal.  Not only can you eliminate veal from your diet, you can also forego dairy. There are plenty of healthy alternatives on the market in major grocery chains throughout the country – from soy milks, rice milks, nut milks and hemp milks, the alternatives are plenty. You don’t have to participate in an industry you know to be cruel, and every step toward compassion makes a difference for farm animals.