Why do you eat veal?

Access Farm Sanctuary Research Report,
The Welfare of Calves in Veal Production

Click here for more information about Veal Production


Veal is a by-product of the dairy industry. In order for dairy cows to produce milk, they must be impregnated and give birth. Half of the calves born are female, and they are used to replace older cows in the milking herd. The other half are male, and because they are of no use to the dairy industry, most are used for beef or veal.

Within moments of birth, male calves born on dairies are taken away from their mothers and loaded onto trucks. Many are sold through auction rings where they are subjected to transportation and handling stresses. The fragile animals are shocked and kicked, and when they can no longer walk, they are dragged by their legs or even their ears.

Every year, approximately one million calves are confined in crates measuring just two feet wide. They are chained by the neck to restrict all movement, making it is impossible for them to turn around, stretch, or even lie down comfortably. This severe confinement makes the calves' meat "tender" since the animals muscles cannot develop.

Published scientific research indicates that calves confined in crates experience "chronic stress" and require approximately five times more medication than calves living in more spacious conditions. It is not surprising then, that veal is among the most likely meat to contain illegal drug residues which pose a threat to human health.

Researchers have also reported that calves confined in crates exhibit abnormal coping behaviors associated with frustration. These include head tossing, head shaking, kicking, scratching, and stereotypical chewing behavior. Confined calves also experience leg and joint disorders and an impaired ability to walk.

In addition to restricting the animals' movement, veal producers severely limit what their animals can eat. The calves are fed an all liquid milk-substitute which is purposely deficient in iron and fiber. It is intended to produce borderline anemia and the pale colored flesh fancied by 'gourmets'. At approximately sixteen weeks of age, these weak animals are slaughtered and marketed as "white" veal (also known as "fancy", "milk-fed", "special fed", and "formula fed" veal). Besides the expensive veal which comes from calves who are kept in small wooden crates, "bob" veal is the flesh of calves who may be slaughtered at just a few hours or days old. While these calves are spared intensive confinement, they are still subjected to inhumane transport, handling, and slaughter, and many die before reaching the slaughterhouse.

Click here for more information about veal crates from FreeFarmAnimals.org

I don't eat veal ... and it saddens me to see them in their crates ..
But I have also seen chickens on there cages on transport trucks going to be slaughtered , and hogs , stacked up tripping over each other , going to be slaughtered , and beef cattle with those dumb sad eyes looking at you from between the wood slats of a transport speeding down the express way ..

We are human carnivores we eat meat .. we eat more than we need and its sad that animals have to die to feed us .. veal calves are only one of gods creatures that suffer ..but nothing can be done unless we all do it ..

I actually just ate Veal Parmagiana last night. It was almost the best thing I've ever eaten!

YUM!!!!!!!!

Yeah, it's sad that a baby has to die for us to eat, but we have to live! And I for one do not want to eat plants the rest of my life. Report It

because it is tender and tasty