To Whom it May Concern,

I have been asked to review and comment on a segment of videographic evidence from a veal calf operation in Wisconsin. To introduce myself, I am a graduate of Harvard University (A.B. ‘71) and the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University (D.V.M. ‘80), from which I graduated with a class rank of #1. I am licensed to practice veterinary medicine in New York and Vermont, and have been a private practitioner in New York since June, 1980. During my first few years in practice, I was a dairy practitioner in a high volume practice in Cortland County (one of the largest dairy areas in New York State) and thus have had ample exposure to dairy cows and calves, including their husbandry, medical practice, and proper management. Currently, I care for a small herd of cows in upstate New York.

The video shows a large number of Holstein bull calves in a veal operation, confined in narrow, slatted wooden crates. The only positive comment I can make about these animals’ care is that the lighting is good; however, I have been informed that the lights were turned on for the purpose of filming, and that the calves were actually kept in the dark which is improper management for diurnal animals requiring normal light exposure. In addition, there is nothing in the video footage that indicates a healthy or humane environment in which to raise these calves. I observed the following problems and deficiencies:

Comfort is nonexistent: The calves are held in chutes too narrow and short to permit the animals to assume comfortable postures in lying down. One calf is seen lying on his right side with his legs extending all the way across the next calf’s crate. They are also too restrictive to allow the animals to scratch themselves to relieve the irritating itching caused by the shedding out of their baby fur as they grow a mature coat. Furthermore, since there is no bedding anywhere in this entire barn, they are lying on hard, damp slatted floors. Ample research exists to prove that cattle, given the choice, will invariably lie down on soft dry bedding rather than on hard and wet surfaces. The enforced immobility also deprives these animals of one of the primary drives of a young ruminant, namely the drive to associate with conspecifics for the purposes of extensive and active play periods and mutual grooming.

Hygiene is very poor: Manure is spattered throughout the barn, under the animals’ hindquarters so that they must lie down in it, and in the alley between the rows of calf crates. Although odor cannot be detected from videographic evidence, my experience with barns having similar poor hygiene conditions leads me to conclude that the odor is likely to be intense and unpleasant, adding to the poor quality of life afforded these calves.

Calf condition: Although the calves’ body weight s appropriate for their sizes, the majority are caked with manure on their hindquarters including their lateral thigh and hip areas, tails, and the hind ends. In some individuals, the resulting manure “scald” has resulted in thigh abrasions and dermatitis (skin infection) due to inevitable breakdown of skin homeostatic mechanisms when chronically plastered with stool. In addition, the manure is looser than is normal in young cattle maintained in a natural and hygienic environment, and fed a normal diet. Some of the stool contains mucus, indicating a sloughed lining of the lower gastrointestinal tract. This diarrhea seen in veal calves is due to a combination factors, primarily due to the stress of confinement and the abnormal diet they are fed to produce the desired white flesh. Whereas calves of this age should be fed cow’s milk and a variety of roughage and concentrates, permitting the development of the normal rumination digestive cycles, veal calves are fed a milk - or soy - based, iron deficient milk only - no solids - thereby preventing a ruminant animal from ever digesting normally (i.e. ruminating). An abnormally loose stool and anemia are the inevitable results. (This abnormal diet is one chief reason why veal calves are slaughtered at 4-5 months of age: otherwise, their health begins to decline and the profit margin narrows.)

Feeding practices: Unlike dairy and beef herds, these calves have no mangers in front of them and no water sources since their only nutrient intake is in the form of veal “milk replacer”. The buckets used to provide this liquid diet are seen hanging upside down over each animal’s crate. Proper management for cattle includes access to both roughage (in the form of hay, grass, or silage), and water at regular intervals if not constantly throughout the day.

In conclusion, it is my professional opinion from over two decades of dairy veterinary experience that these calves are maintained in an environment which must produce suffering in the lives of the confined animals due to their abnormal diet and resulting GI distress, their close confinement preventing most natural body postures and activities, and their filthy, unbedded enclosures.

Sincerely,

Holly Cheever, DVM