veal calves

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British veal is back

Rose Prince reports on the return of British veal to supermarkets and gastropubs across the country. The Telegraph July 25th 2011

Finding a source of British veal a decade ago was like looking for red squirrels. Just a handful of farmers felt brave enough to produce a meat that had the worst possible reputation. The sight of doe-eyed calves travelling in trucks to British ports and onward to their final destination was too much for animal lovers. These young cattle were the unwanted ”bobby’’ bulls from dairy herds; good only for cruel, European appetites, said protesters.

Yet walk into a gastropub and you will see that veal is back, its welfare-friendly credentials writ large on the blackboard. But veal’s comeback has hardly been an easy one. Diners and shoppers need convincing on a number of levels. Why, many ask, eat veal at all? The answer is threefold. First, because if we don’t, farmers will have unwanted male calves destroyed a day or two after they are born, which seems, at the very least, a waste.

Secondly, the changes in husbandry are dramatic. In the modern conventional system, farmers must rear calves in small groups in open barns, with straw bedding and all mod cons.

The third reason is that if we don’t, exports of live veal calves to Europe will increase. While the practice of rearing veal in crates has been banned across the EU, long journeys for livestock remain questionable in welfare terms.

There are two main types of veal: milk-fed (with some straw roughage) and killed at about 20 weeks; or grain-fed and killed up to about 35 weeks. Milk-fed veal has a rich, buttery taste while grain-fed veal, often called rose veal, has darker pink meat and a clean, beefier flavour.

A third system whereby calves are kept with, and nursed by, their mothers, on pasture. so eat milk and grass, is favoured by organic farmers.

From a purely gastronomic viewpoint, milk-fed stands out. It is less common than rose veal, but I have been buying Bocaddon Veal from Cornwall for nearly seven years, since my mother, a Cornish resident and veal enthusiast, discovered its meat at a farmers’ market in Liskeard. Produced on a farm near Looe by the daughter and son-in-law of dairy farmers, it began as a project to use the unwanted calves. The meat is excellent – even the cheap cuts are tender when fried, unlike beef, and that silky, dairy flavour is always upfront. John and Vicky Brown sell the meat online; ”selection boxes’’ begin at £58.61.

An innovative farm on the Isle of Bute has also begun selling veal via home delivery. The Lyon family has been farming at Drumachloy Farm for six generations and has now diversified into rose veal. When I heard of this farm faraway on the west coast of Scotland, I shivered for the calves, but am reassured to discover that the Gulf Stream passing by the Isle of Bute adds enough warmth for contentment of livestock. The calves are fed grain with a delicious-sounding malt mash from the local brewery, then killed at six to seven months. The meat is tender and pink, worthy of its floral name, and cuts are mainly the continental ones – osso buco (shin) and escalopes.

The London-based chef Mark Hix has thrown his support behind a veal enterprise in his West Country homeland, Dorset. The brand is Brookfield Farm. This is a good rose veal producer, sourcing calves from a wide area of dairy farms. Veal is available online from Gribbles Butchers in Ivybridge, Devon.

Tags: british ports, buttery taste, dairy herds, male calves, open barns, organic farmers, pink meat, red squirrels, straw bedding, veal calves

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Milk Fed Veal group housing

milk fed veal calves ebarn

Photos courtesy – Ontario Agriculture Photo Library.
Milk fed Veal Calves in group housing pens of 60 – room size 120 per machine.
They are raised on recycled plastic flooring which has been in place since 2000

Tags: milk fed, ontario agriculture, pens, photo library, photos, plastic flooring, veal calves

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Group Housing

Veal Calves - group_housing

veal_calves_group_housing_02

Veal Calves - group_housing

Types of Group Housing for milk fed veal calves in North America.

From large Group of 60 calves to shared pens with as low as 2 calves.

Tags: large group, milk fed, north america, pens, veal calves

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Veal Calves In The Netherlands

Veal is produced in the Netherlands according to stringent regulations.

In 2008 the existing IKB quality scheme for veal calves was updated. IKB stands for Integrale Keten Beheersing – total surveillance of animal production. There are two separate schemes for veal calves: one for animals producing white meat and one for those yielding rosé meat.

Almost all the Dutch calf farmers comply with the IKB regulations. Through these schemes, the veal-calf sector provides guarantees for animal welfare and animal health, food safety, and meat quality. Compliance with IKB also implies compliance with the European hygiene regulations for food and feed.

IKB calf farmers have a contract with a single veterinarian and have a medical treatment plan. Important aspects of the IKB programme are careful and rational use of antibiotics and their registration.

Animal welfare has always been a key concern in the Dutch calf farming sector. The Netherlands was the first country in Europe where the calf sector introduced group housing of its own accord. Since 2009 all veal sold in Dutch supermarkets is awarded a ‘star’ by the ‘ Beter Leven’ (Better Life) quality mark of the Dutch Society for the Protection of Animals. Veal granted this quality mark complies with extra high demands placed on animal welfare.

Higher Veal production

Production of veal in the Netherlands increased last year. According to provisional figures, production reached 233,000 tonnes. That is two per cent more than in 2008. The majority of Dutch production originates from animals younger than eight months old. The share accounted for by this category in the total production volume was 74 per cent last year. The remaining 26 per cent originates from calves aged between eight and twelve months. More new born calves imported More new born calves were imported last year too. In total more than 830,000 calves were imported; an increase of almost eight per cent relative to 2008. More calves were imported from Ireland and Poland in particular. Germany remained the most important supplier of calves with a share of 46 per cent. Imports from the United Kingdom ceased as the Dutch veal sector decided to stop importing calves from the UK because of the presence of tuberculosis in British herds.

Rise in veal exports

The Netherlands is the major exporter of veal in the world. Veal exports increased marginally last year compared to the previous year. Approximately 207,000 tonnes of veal was exported. That is 2.5 per cent more than in 2008.

For decades, the vast majority of the meat has been exported to the same three countries – Italy, Germany and France. More than 80 per cent of the total export is destined for these markets. The main importer remained Italy with a share of 40 per cent, followed by Germany and France each with a share of 20 per cent in Dutch exports of veal. However, the veal sector is making efforts to serve as many markets as possible worldwide. A positive point was gaining access again to markets in several countries in the Middle East.

Stable veal calf prices, but less fluctuation

Prices for veal calves in 2009 were at about the same level as in 2008. However, the fluctuations were far smaller than in that year. In 2008 the reference price fell from € 5.50 at the beginning of the year to € 3.30 in the early autumn. In 2009 the reference price (a weighted average of the prices for red and white and black and white animals) was between € 4.00 and € 4.50 for the majority of the year. The price of new born calves last year was at a far higher level than in 2008. The average reference price increased by 17 per cent. This was set off by lower feed prices, including for skimmed milk powder, than in 2008.

Slight increase in veal consumption

Total domestic consumption of veal showed a slight increase in 2009. Per capita, consumption of veal remained stable at 1.7 kg

Veal