Mother's Day is a time for honoring our mothers and celebrating the importance of the maternal bond and, happily, many mothers will be able to spend this special day with their children. However, tragically, some mothers will be prevented from spending Mother's Day, or ANY day, with their young.

In the U.S., approximately nine million dairy cows give birth every year, and their calves are taken away from them immediately after birth. The female calves are typically raised to replace worn-out dairy cows in the milking herd, but the males are useless to the dairy industry, and so they are commonly used for veal.

To produce veal, baby calves are chained by the neck in small wooden crates just two feet wide. They cannot turn around, stretch their limbs, or even lie down comfortably, and they will live in these crates for their entire lives. This severe confinement prevents the calves from exercising so their muscles cannot develop, and this keeps their meat tender. In addition, veal calves are fed an all-liquid diet which is deficient in iron and fiber—designed to produce borderline anemia and the pale-colored flesh sold as veal. Veal production is so cruel that it has been outlawed in other developed countries.

This Mother's Day, let's remember the dairy cows and their unfortunate calves, and let's pledge to outlaw the cruel practice of raising veal in the U.S. as has been done in other countries.

Sincerely,