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Why say no
to veal: Because every year millions of calves are raised in horrible
conditions and then slaughtered.
Male calves (veal) are one
by-product of the dairy industry. Each dairy cow must be impregnated each
year and has a 50-50 chance of having a male calf; hence this is a big
industry. And because they are breeds specific to milk production, these
calves won't produce meat well enough to be allowed to live to full
size.
So within moments of birth, male calves are taken away from
their mothers and loaded onto trucks. Many are sold at auctions where they
are subjected to transportation and handling stresses. The fragile babies
are shocked and kicked, and when they can no longer walk, they are dragged
by their legs or even their ears.
Calves are confined in crates
just 2 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"
because muscles cannot develop.
The calves are fed an all liquid
milk-substitute which is deficient in iron and fiber. This produces
borderline anemia and the pale colored flesh fancied by 'gourmets'. (There
is also "bob" veal: the flesh of calves who are slaughtered at just a few
hours or days old.)
At 12-16 weeks of age, these gentle creatures
are inhumanely transported to slaughter; many die during the trip. They
might be the lucky ones.
As Sue Coe witnessed at a slaughterhouse:
"The calves can see other calves getting their throats cut. They have to
be dragged to slaughter as they are too weak to stand and walk. The look
around wildly, their heads are trembling, as if they have palsy. Their fur
is caked with feces. White foam is dripping from their mouths. One calf
looks at me with what appears to be trust."
And then there are
"slunks"--very near-term babies that manage to be born when their "spent"
dairy cow mothers are hanging to bleed out after slaughter. These tortured
souls are highly prized by the laboratory and supplement
industries.
Please come out and speak for these doomed baby
animals. We are the only voice they have.
And please consume as
little dairy as you possibly can. We have MARC members who have been
healthy vegans for over 25 and 30 years, and we personally know vegan
children who are very healthy. We ourselves have been vegan for over 8
years and have never been healthier, not even when we were
vegetarian.
For more info about veganism, just ask, or go to the
Vegan Board at VegSource: http://www.vegsource.com/
A calf lies dead in the slatted stall in which it stood for all of
its life, with
no mother, sunlight or decent food. This is the fate of
a calf raised for veal
The veal calf industry is one of the most
reprehensible of all the kinds of intensive animal agriculture. Veal
calves are a by-product of the dairy industry; they are "manufactured" by
"milk machines" - dairy cows. Female calves are raised to be dairy cows:
They are confined and fed synthetic hormones to increase growth and
production and antibiotics to keep them alive in their unhealthy,
unnatural environments. They are artificially inseminated and, after
giving birth, are milked for several years until their production levels
drop, then they are slaughtered.
Male calves are taken from their mothers
shortly after birth. Some are slaughtered soon after birth for "bob veal."
Others are raised in "open pens," a kind of minimum security prison, and
even then they are sometimes chained. Most are destined for the veal
crate.
Solitary ConfinementThe veal crate is a wooden restraining device that is
the veal calf's permanent home. It is so small (22" x 54") that the calves
cannot turn around or even lie down and stretch and is the ultimate in
high-profit, confinement animal agriculture.(1) Designed to prevent
movement (exercise), the crate does its job of atrophying the calves'
muscles, thus producing tender "gourmet" veal.
"Feeding" TimeThe calves are generally fed a milk substitute
intentionally lacking in iron and other essential nutrients. This diet
keeps the animals anemic and creates the pale pink or white color desired
in the finished product. Craving iron, the calves lick urine-saturated
slats and any metallic parts of their stalls. Farmers also withhold water
from the animals, who, always thirsty, are driven to drink a large
quantity of the high-fat liquid feed.
Because of such extremely unhealthy living
conditions and restricted diets, calves are susceptible to a long list of
diseases, including chronic pneumonia and "scours," or constant diarrhea.
Consequently, they must be given massive doses of antibiotics and other
drugs just to keep them alive. (The antibiotics are passed on to consumers
in the meat.) The calves often suffer from wounds caused by the constant
rubbing against the crates.
A Fate Worse Than DeathAbout 14 weeks after their birth, the calves are
slaughtered. The quality of this "food," laden with chemicals, lacking in
fiber and other nutrients, diseased and processed, is another matter. The
real issue is the calves' experience. During their brief lives, they never
see the sun or touch the Earth. They never see or taste the grass. Their
anemic bodies crave proper sustenance. Their muscles ache for freedom and
exercise. They long for maternal care. They are kept in darkness except to
be fed two to three times a day for 20 minutes. The calves have committed
no crime, yet have been sentenced to a fate comparable to any Nazi
concentration camp.
What You Can DoTo help stop veal calf abuses, don't buy or
eat veal, and tell friends, relatives, and neighbors why. Tell restaurant
managers about veal cruelties and ask them to remove veal from their
menus. Also, don't buy or eat dairy products, because of the dairy
industry's role in veal production. Ask your state legislators to sponsor
bills that would prohibit the use of veal crates.
REFERENCES
1.Singer, Peter,
Animal Liberation, 1975, p. 123.
5/15/97
People for the Ethical
Treatment of Animals- 501 Front Street - Norfolk, VA. 23510 - 757-622-PETA
(7382)
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Please don't buy veal, and educate others about
this abuse.
Support Farm Sanctuary's campaign to
end cruel veal production.
News:
Undercover Investigation Finds Cruelty at Midwest
Veal Farms
Restaurant Claims Calves Treated Humanely, but Photos Show
Otherwise
Up to 90% of U.S. Veal Calves Given Illegal
Hormone
Tell Wolfgang Puck to stop serving crated, anemic
veal.
In
order to produce veal, young calves are taken from their mothers and
chained by the neck in crates measuring just two feet wide. They cannot
turn around, stretch their limbs, or even lie down comfortably. This
severe confinement makes the calves' meat “tender” since the animals'
muscles cannot develop.
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 consumers.
Researchers have also reported that veal calves 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.
Veal 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 twenty 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).
Please don't buy veal, and
educate others about this abuse.
Support Farm Sanctuary's campaign to end cruel veal production.
Farm
Sanctuary - East
P.O. Box 150
Watkins Glen, NY 14891
ph:
607-583-2225
fx: 607-583-2041 |
Farm Sanctuary -
West
P.O. Box 1065
Orland, CA 95963
ph: 530-865-4617
fx:
530-865-4622 |
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