{"id":125438,"date":"2003-12-16T10:25:00","date_gmt":"2003-12-16T14:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.peta.org\/issues\/veal-byproduct-cruel-dairy-industry\/"},"modified":"2024-04-02T02:32:44","modified_gmt":"2024-04-02T09:32:44","slug":"veal-byproduct-cruel-dairy-industry","status":"publish","type":"issue","link":"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/issues\/animals-used-for-food\/animals-used-food-factsheets\/veal-byproduct-cruel-dairy-industry\/","title":{"rendered":"Veal: A Byproduct of the Cruel Dairy Industry"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Cows produce milk for the same reason why humans and other mammals do: to nourish their young. But the millions of cows who live on U.S. dairy farms are forced into a vicious cycle of continuous pregnancy so that they will produce milk for human consumption. Their female calves are slaughtered immediately or used to replace their mothers in the dairy herd, and many male calves end up in veal crates\u2015a fate characterized by confinement, darkness, malnutrition, and slaughter.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n\t\t<div class=\"video-player\"><div class=\"widescreen-wrapper\"><iframe title=\"The Dairy Industry in 60 Seconds Flat\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/489171117?dnt=1&amp;app_id=122963\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture; clipboard-write\"><\/iframe><\/div><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t\n<p><strong>The Cow-Calf Bond<\/strong><br \/>\nWithout human intervention, calves suckle from their mothers for nearly a year.<sup>1<\/sup> One veterinary study revealed that \u201cduring natural weaning there is never complete and abrupt abandonment of the calf by the cow. In fact, the \u2026 cow and calf will maintain a lifelong relationship of social contact and companionship even when a new offspring arrives.\u201d<sup>2<\/sup> Another study found that a cow and her calf can develop a \u201cstrong maternal bond\u201d in as little as five minutes.<sup>3<\/sup> But calves born on dairy farms are taken from their mothers on the same day that they are born and fed milk replacers, including cattle blood, so that humans can have the milk instead.<sup>4,5<\/sup> This forced separation causes cows and calves great distress, and cows have been known to escape enclosures and travel for miles to reunite with their young.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Small Stalls and No Exercise<\/strong><br \/>\nCalves raised for veal are forced to spend their short lives in individual crates that are no more than six by seven feet.<sup>6<\/sup> These crates are designed to prohibit exercise and normal muscle growth in order to produce tender \u201cgourmet\u201d veal. The calves are fed a milk substitute that is purposely low in iron so that they will become anemic and their flesh will stay pale.<sup>7<\/sup><\/p>\n<p>Because of these extremely unhealthy living conditions, calves raised for veal are susceptible to a long list of diseases, including chronic pneumonia and diarrhea. A study published in the <i>Journal of Animal Science<\/i> found that calves who were kept in \u201csmaller housing units\u201d had difficulty keeping themselves clean and had trouble \u201cextending their front legs and changing from a lying to a standing position,\u201d which resulted in joint swelling. It was also determined that stereotypical forms of stress behaviors, such as tongue rolling and \u201csham-chewing\u201d (the act of chewing without food in the mouth), increase when smaller pens were used and as calves got older.<sup>8<\/sup><\/p>\n<p><strong>What You Can Do<\/strong><br \/>\nVeal crates have been prohibited in European Union member countries since 2007.<sup>9<\/sup> Ask your state legislators to follow the example of states like Arizona, California and Ohio, which have banned veal crates, by sponsoring bills that would prohibit them.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to refusing to eat veal, avoid all dairy products\u2014calves raised for veal are a \u201ccoproduct\u201d of the dairy industry. Try fortified soy, almond, oat, and rice milks, all of which provide calcium, vitamins, iron, zinc, and protein but contain no cholesterol. They are perfect for cereal, soups, baked goods, and other recipes. Many delicious dairy alternatives\u2014including Rice Dream, So Delicious, Purely Decadent, and Tofutti brand nondairy ice creams as well as nondairy cheeses, sour cream, and creamers\u2014are available in health-food and grocery stores.<\/p>\n<p>Veganism means eating for life\u2014yours and animals\u2019. Go to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/lifestyle\/food\/free-vegan-starter-kit\/\">PETA.org<\/a> for great recipes, nutritional information, cooking and shopping tips, and to order a free copy of PETA\u2019s vegetarian\/vegan starter kit.<\/p>\n<p><strong>References<\/strong><br \/>\n<sup>1<\/sup>Danny Lewis, &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.smithsonianmag.com\/smart-news\/new-way-wean-calves-leaves-them-happier-healthier-180957919\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">New Way to Wean Calves Leaves Them Happier and Healthier<\/a>,\u201d Smithsonian.com, 25 Jan. 2016.<br \/>\n<sup>2<\/sup>Joseph M. Stookey and Derek B. Haley, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.coursehero.com\/file\/p6ekc3tf\/If-left-to-nature-the-weaning-process-in-beef-cattle-would-follow-the-milk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Latest in Alternate Weaning Strategies<\/a>,\u201d Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, 2002.<br \/>\n<sup>3<\/sup>Marina A.G. von Keyserlingk, Daniel M. Weary, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/pdfs.semanticscholar.org\/b769\/09afb82991b8322808e289a73662058c4af1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Maternal Behavior in Cattle<\/a>,\u201d <em>Hormones and Behavior<\/em>, 52 (2007) 106\u2013113.<br \/>\n<sup>4<\/sup>&#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.americanveal.com\/questions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Questions<\/a>,&#8221; American Veal Association, 2016.<br \/>\n<sup>5<\/sup>American Veterinary Medical Association, &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.avma.org\/KB\/Resources\/LiteratureReviews\/Documents\/veal_calf_husbandry_bgnd.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Literature Review on the Welfare Implications of the Veal Calf Husbandry<\/a>,&#8221; 13 Oct. 2008.<br \/>\n<sup>6<\/sup>Saul Elbein, &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2018\/10\/08\/california-prop-12-animal-welfare-dairy-calves\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Calves in Confinement<\/a>,&#8221; <em>The Intercept<\/em>, 8 Oct. 2018.<br \/>\n<sup>7<\/sup>American Veterinary Medical Association.<br \/>\n<sup>8<\/sup>Tammy L. Terosky <i>et al<\/i>., \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/9222823\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Effects of Individual Housing Design and Size on Special-Fed Holstein Veal Calf Growth Performance, Hematology, and Carcass Characteristics<\/a>,\u201d <i>Journal of Animal Science<\/i> 75 (1997): 1697-703.<br \/>\n<sup>9<\/sup>&#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedairysite.com\/articles\/2360\/veal-production-in-the-uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Veal Production In The UK<\/a>,&#8221; The Dairy Site, 18 May 2010.<\/p>\n<input class=\"fooboxshare_post_id\" type=\"hidden\" value=\"125438\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cows produce milk for the same reason why humans and other mammals do: to nourish their young. But the millions of cows who live on U.S. dairy farms are forced into a vicious cycle of continuous pregnancy so that they will produce milk for human consumption. Their female calves are slaughtered immediately or used to<a class=\"excerpt-read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/issues\/animals-used-for-food\/animals-used-food-factsheets\/veal-byproduct-cruel-dairy-industry\/\" title=\"ReadVeal: A Byproduct of the Cruel Dairy Industry\"> &#8230; Read more &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":0,"parent":124865,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","beyondwords_generate_audio":"","beyondwords_integration_method":"","beyondwords_project_id":"","beyondwords_content_id":"","beyondwords_preview_token":"","beyondwords_player_content":"","beyondwords_player_style":"","beyondwords_language_code":"","beyondwords_language_id":"","beyondwords_title_voice_id":"","beyondwords_body_voice_id":"","beyondwords_summary_voice_id":"","beyondwords_error_message":"","beyondwords_disabled":"","beyondwords_delete_content":"","beyondwords_podcast_id":"","beyondwords_hash":"","publish_post_to_speechkit":"","speechkit_hash":"","speechkit_generate_audio":"","speechkit_project_id":"","speechkit_podcast_id":"","speechkit_error_message":"","speechkit_disabled":"","speechkit_access_key":"","speechkit_error":"","speechkit_info":"","speechkit_response":"","speechkit_retries":"","speechkit_status":"","speechkit_updated_at":"","_speechkit_link":"","_speechkit_text":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[3],"placement":[],"class_list":["post-125438","issue","type-issue","status-publish","hentry","category-vegan"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Veal: A Byproduct of the Cruel Dairy Industry | PETA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Cows produce milk for the same reason why humans and other mammals do: to nourish their young. 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