Preparing Male Dairy Calves for the Veal and Dairy Beef Industry

Renaud, D.L.; Pardon, Bart

doi:10.1016/j.cvfa.2021.11.006

Cited by 25 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 89 publications

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“…(2019) observed that low body weight calves (< 46 kg; 2–4 months of age) after 2 h of transport had leucocytosis and more pro‐inflammatory states compared with heavier calves (> 46 kg). In a recent review on the preparation of male dairy calves for transport, 50 kg (independent of age) was proposed as a weight threshold (Renaud and Pardon, 2022). However, such thresholds should not be considered alone, as older calves with low body weight for their age (even if heavier than 50 kg) could arrive at the rearing facility with severe health issues and reduced growth performance for their age.…”

Section: Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Welfare of cattle during transport

Nielsen¹,

Álvarez²,

Bicout³

et al. 2022

EFS2

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In the framework of its Farm to Fork Strategy, the Commission is undertaking a comprehensive evaluation of the animal welfare legislation. The present Opinion deals with protection of cattle (including calves) during transport. Welfare of cattle during transport by road is the main focus, but other means of transport are also covered. Current practices related to transport of cattle during the different stages (preparation, loading/unloading, transit and journey breaks) are described. Overall, 11 welfare consequences were identified as being highly relevant for the welfare of cattle during transport based on severity, duration and frequency of occurrence: group stress, handling stress, heat stress, injuries, motion stress, prolonged hunger, prolonged thirst, respiratory disorders, restriction of movement, resting problems and sensory overstimulation. These welfare consequences and their animal-based measures are described. A variety of hazards, mainly relating to inexperienced/untrained handlers, inappropriate handling, structural deficiencies of vehicles and facilities, poor driving conditions, unfavourable microclimatic and environmental conditions, and poor husbandry practices leading to these welfare consequences were identified. The Opinion contains general and specific conclusions relating to the different stages of transport for cattle. Recommendations to prevent hazards and to correct or mitigate welfare consequences have been developed. Recommendations were also developed to define quantitative thresholds for microclimatic conditions within the means of transport and spatial thresholds (minimum space allowance). The development of welfare consequences over time was assessed in relation to maximum journey duration. The Opinion covers specific animal transport scenarios identified by the European Commission relating to transport of unweaned calves, cull cows, the export of cattle by livestock vessels, the export of cattle by road, rollon-roll-off ferries and 'special health status animals', and lists welfare concerns associated with these.

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Section: Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Welfare of cattle during transport

Nielsen¹,

Álvarez²,

Bicout³

et al. 2022

EFS2

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“…Another point for future investigation and thought is the stress experienced by the calves when they move between the dairy and veal farm. These calves are typically exposed to several stressors including two transport events between the dairy farm and veal farm (only one transport moment in the present study) interrupted by sorting at an assembly centre, the mixing with unfamiliar calves, a high pathogen exposure and subsequent disease prevalence and finally the stress of adapting to an entirely new environment and feeding regime 51,67,68 . Some of these stressors require careful consideration as to whether they could be mitigated or removed altogether.…”

Section: Behaviour Of Calvesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of early dam contact on veal calf welfare

Webb

Marcato

Bokkers

et al. 2022

Sci Rep

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Dairy calves, including surplus calves, are typically separated from their dam within hours of birth. The aim of this study was to assess the welfare impacts of raising surplus calves destined for veal with their dam for 2 or 4 weeks until transport. Surplus calves from one dairy farm were separated from their dam at birth (n = 39) or kept with the dam (n = 37) until transport to the veal farm at either 2 (n = 50) or 4 (n = 26) weeks of age, with abrupt separation for dam-reared calves. Calf measures of body weight, health, immunity, haematology and behaviour were recorded at the dairy and veal farms. Dam-reared calves had higher body weights in weeks 3, 4 and 5 at the DF, as well as at arrival at the veal farm, but by slaughter this advantage was lost. More dam-reared calves had fever in week 3 and showed signs of disease in week 5 at the dairy farm. Dam-reared calves did not differ in IgG, IgA or IgM levels but had higher counts of white blood cells, which could reflect a higher pathogen exposure rather than improved immunity. Dam-reared calves displayed more fear towards humans in a human approach test at 5 and 7 weeks after arrival at the veal farm, and more frequent social behaviours at the veal farm at 9 and 16 weeks of age. In conclusion, it seems that there may be both advantages and disadvantages to keeping veal calves with the dam in terms of welfare in the current system.

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“…The fate of surplus calves depends on the country in which they are born. In Europe and North America, many of these calves are raised for veal (up to 8 months of age), young beef (up to 12 months of age), or dairy-beef (16-24 months of age) at dedicated fattening farms (European Commission et al, 2014;Pardon et al, 2014;Hessle et al, 2019;Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), 2020;Renaud and Pardon, 2022). In the UK, a small percentage of bull calves is euthanised at birth on the dairy farm of origin, but legislation is currently being put into place to abolish this practice (Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2 Main welfare challenges identified in the conventional European veal system Welfare challenges faced by surplus dairy calves destined for veal have been reviewed previously (Haskell, 2020;Renaud and Pardon, 2022) and have been addressed by EFSA (Figure 1).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The future of surplus dairy calves – an animal welfare perspective

2023

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An important obstacle toward sustainably produced animal-source food is the existence of so-called ‘surplus animals’, which are by-products of the production of dairy products and eggs, and ‘unwanted’ due to their perceived low value. Although this depends on the country, in Europe many surplus dairy calves are transported to veal farms to be raised for 6 months until slaughter. The aim of this article is to present ideas for alternative future systems for the dairy-veal chain, including an overview of current challenges and improvement strategies for calf welfare. This dairy-veal chain presents a number of potential concerns for calf welfare, including transportation of young animals, high risk of disease and barren housing. Many incremental changes have been suggested in past literature to lift the welfare of veal calves, including reducing transportation, transporting calves at an older age, better health screening, and pens with enrichment and bedding. The Netherlands is at the centre of the veal sector import-export flow in Europe and is one of the main veal producers in the world. The Dutch government has recently presented a report with three alternative ‘scenarios’ for the raising of these surplus dairy calves, which are expected to lead to improvements in animals welfare. The first scenario is a restriction on transport of <100km, leading to more local production of dairy-veal. The second scenario is a delay on the transportation of surplus calves from 2 weeks to 3 months of age, handing dairy farmers a much larger role in the raising of these calves. This delay would ensure that calves are more robust and less vulnerable to disease at the time that they are transported to the veal farm. The third scenario proposes an alternative system, where the veal sector is eradicated and surplus dairy calves are raised at the dairy farm of origin until slaughter. We, like others before us, question the impact of small incremental changes on calf welfare, arguing that improvements at one end could potentially lead to worsening of welfare at the other end, and prefer to focus on system changes, such as the use of dual-purpose cattle breeds. We do not however believe that system changes can be created and implemented with the sole input of animal welfare scientists. This work is hence just one piece of the puzzle towards the sustainable production of milk and meat, and more specifically the sustainable rearing of surplus calves.

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Preparing Male Dairy Calves for the Veal and Dairy Beef Industry

Cited by 25 publications

References 89 publications

Welfare of cattle during transport

Welfare of cattle during transport

Impact of early dam contact on veal calf welfare

The future of surplus dairy calves – an animal welfare perspective

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