On Tue, 24 Oct 2006 12:10:18 +0100, Geoff
wrote:
http://vanguardpublications.blogspot.com/
PART THREE - Dairy Cows and Veal Calves
Published September 07, 2006
by Larry Parker
Prior to my learning about the horrors of factory farming, if someone
had told me that there are animals on this earth who for their entire
lives are imprisoned in wooden crates, chained by their necks, and
prevented from performing the simplest of movements such as walking or
turning; that they suffer from malnourishment, deliberately induced to
encourage the onset of disease; and that these things are done to them
to enhance the taste and texture of their cooked flesh for human
consumption, I would have thought that such practices could only be
found within the confines of some fictional tale of the macabre; or
that they were being performed by some tribe of barbarians in complete
isolation from modern-day society.
As we are all discovering, however, the sickening truth is that these
things are done to hundreds of thousands of male calves every year
throughout the United States to produce the meat known as veal, or
more specifically "white veal". But I would have been correct about
one thing - these acts are without question being performed by
barbarians.
The tragic story of the veal calf begins with his mother - the dairy
cow.
In today's dairy factories, the dairy cow is treated as little more
than a piece of machinery, like a tractor or harvester, with no
concern given to her welfare other than that which also encourages her
productive abilities. In order to produce milk, the dairy cow must of
course give birth. Insemination is planned so that this occurs at
about two years of age, and she'll continue to lactate for the next 10
months. However, she's usually re-inseminated after only 2 or 3 months
thereby maximizing her productive cycle. Following the second birth,
her udder is finally given a short rest, though ultimately she'll be
expected to give one birth per year until the strain on her system
proves too much and she's shipped off to slaughter.
The hardship of such an accelerated birth rate is compounded by
various methods used to increase milk production even further. In
addition to automated milking techniques and the use of antibiotics,
the cows are administered a specialized high-protein diet based on
grains and animal byproducts. As they are natural herbivores this diet
is difficult for the cows to digest. Moreover, imposing a carnivorous,
even cannibalistic diet onto dairy cows has resulted in various
outbreaks of BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy), more popularly
known as Mad Cow Disease, a fatal disorder which progressively attacks
the brain and nervous system.
In recent years, the industry has also seen increased use of the
highly controversial growth hormone, rBGH (recombinant Bovine Growth
Hormone), otherwise known as BST (Bovine Somatotropin). rBGH is
designed to increase milk production by approximately 15%. However,
after a single artificially-enhanced lactation, the cow is "worn out"
and becomes so useless she must be sent to slaughter. Most small
family farmers have rejected the product, while it's use has been
banned in both Canada and the European Union.
All these techniques take a tremendous toll on the cow. Pushed into
producing more than 10 times as much milk in peak lactation as her
calf would otherwise require, the life span of a dairy cow is reduced
from 25 years or more to as little as three or four years. Her immune
system is greatly compromised, and she becomes susceptible to a number
of crushing diseases, such as mastitis (painful swelling of the
udder), ketosis (disease of the liver), laminitis or lameness
(resulting from metabolic strain), "milk fever" (unnatural loss of
calcium from the blood supply), and infertility. Sadly, the industry's
solution to these problems is to simply administer more antibiotics.
Why alter the system to accommodate the cow, when you can alter the
cow to accommodate the system?
Because so little attention is given to the welfare of the cows, an
estimated 195,000 per year become so sick they're unable to walk or
even stand. Up until recently, these "downers" were dragged or
bulldozed into slaughterhouse trucks so their meat could still be
harvested. This made perfect sense from a standpoint of profitibility,
since the meat of a cow who dies before slaughter is unusable for
human consumption. Fortunately, due to the indisputable relationship
between downers and recent cases of Mad Cow Disease in North America,
the USDA placed a temporary ban on this practice, forcing the industry
to choose between immediately euthanizing downed cows or reducing
their numbers by treating them more humanely in the first place.
Efforts are currently under way in Congress to make this ban
permanent.
But what of the siblings?
Calves are separated from their mothers after only one to three days,
thereby preventing them from drinking milk intended for human use. As
the suckling period in a natural environment would last anywhere from
6 to 12 months, early separation is distressing for both the mother
and the calf. Furthermore, during the first 6 to 8 weeks of their
lives, many of the calves are kept in individual pens, removed not
only from their mother's attentions, but also from social interactions
with their own kind.
A number of mutilations are routinely performed when the calves are
still very young, such as castration for the males, removal of
supernumerary teats for the females, disbudding (which prevents the
development of horns), and tail-docking. As you might guess, all these
procedures are very painful, yet they're performed without the benefit
of anesthetics or the expertise of a qualified veterinarian.
Most of the females are ultimately selected as replacements for the
dairy herd; while the males are either raised for beef, killed almost
immediately for low grade veal, or confined in "veal crates" for 4 to
6 months to be slaughtered for white veal (also known as "fancy" or
"milk-fed" veal).
It is these "white veal" calves who suffer the most cruel and inhumane
treatment of all. From the time they're first introduced to the "veal
crate", they'll know no other home. This wooden cage is extremely
restrictive, measuring only 2 feet across, and is designed to prevent
the calves from walking, turning around, or even stretching their
legs. Manacled at the neck they're prevented from laying down
comfortably and are even unable to properly groom themselves. The
purpose of all this, of course, is to inhibit muscular growth, thereby
keeping their meat as tender as possible.
But as if this weren't enough, the calves are further abused by
feeding them an all-liquid milk-substitute diet deficient in iron and
fiber. Borderline anemia is thereby induced which produces a pale or
white colored flesh - hence the term "white veal". Even the littlest
of details are attended to, such as denying the calves straw bedding
for fear they may eat the straw which would darken the color of their
flesh; while their crates are made of wood instead of metal to ensure
the calves don't ingest unwanted amounts of iron by licking the bars.
Separated from their mothers at a tender age, prevented from engaging
in social interactions, and even denied physical comfort or any
semblance of a natural existence; it's not surprising that veal calves
suffer from a number of life-altering diseases and impairments.
Physical complications most often observed include abnormal gut
development, stomach ulcers, impaired locomotive abilities, and an
overall weakening of the immune system. Equally lamentable are the
common psychological responses, such as frustration, depression,
aggression, food refusals, acute sensitivity to stimulation, and
chronic stress. Add to this the abnormal repetitive movements known as
stereotypies (tongue rolling, licking or nibbling on the walls of
their crates, or chewing on nonexistent cud).
So from mother to sibling, the vicious cycle is completed, and at just
the right time, the calf is sent to slaughter so that gourmet chefs
and discriminating consumers around the world can relish the perfect
cut of veal.
Approximately 750,000 veal calves are slaughtered in the United States
every year. Similar to their efforts regarding the welfare of breeding
sows, this country is lagging behind England and the European Union,
both of whom have now outlawed the use of veal crates. A few states,
such as Arizona and Florida, are beginning to address the issue, but a
much greater effort is needed. Every one of us can play a part in
this, and if you agree the suffering must stop, there are things you
can do. Research current legislative efforts, both at the state and
federal levels. Find out where your representatives stand on these
issues. Let them know where you stand. Look for citizen-sponsered
propositions and referendums. Sign the petitions to place these
initiatives on your state's ballot, then vote for them.
Time and again, polls show conclusively that the people of this
country aren't happy about the way farm animals are being treated. All
they need is an opportunity to express their concerns at the ballot
box, and change will follow.
Next Time: The Worst of the Worst