Have you ever thought about veal? About just what goes in to the creation of veal?

 

Many people don't realize that for a cow to continuously give milk, she must have calves...over and over and over again.  Female calves, sadly, are usually destined to become dairy cows themselves, and the brutal cycle for them continues.  BUT, what happens to the male calves born to these dairy cows?  Since males are not needed in the dairy industry, these calves are designated from the day they are born for a much coveted delicacy: veal. Veal is meat from a calf that is 16-20 weeks old, and has no marbling, fat and very little muscle.

 

Why no marbling or muscle? Well, let me walk you through the short life of Timmy to illustrate the answer.

 

When the worker at a dairy feedlot decided that it was time for Timmy to be born, he reached into Timmy's mom and tied a cable around Timmy's legs. Then he dragged Timmy right out of his mother, letting him fall roughly to the ground.

 

Many people may not realize this, but cows bond with their babies just like human mothers do. Tragically, they are usually not given any time with each other on a factory dairy farm. Timmy had no chance to feel his mother's loving kiss, nor find a way to suckle, for just as the newborn calf's mother bent her head to clean him, the worker snatched Timmy away and tossed him into a wheelbarrow. 

And as his mother - bellowing loudly in confusion and sorrow - desperately tried to follow her newborn, all to no avail, Timmy was wheeled off to a loading dock where he was unceremoniously dumped onto the concrete floor.

Timmy inside wheelbarrow

He was left there, with no-one to comfort him, no soft ground to lay on, and certainly no mother's milk to drink. When he tried to get to his feet to take his first steps, something his mother would have ordinarily helped with, he stumbled and fell, cutting his small knees on the rough cement. Later, a stock trailer - packed with 50 other newborn calves, just like Timmy - arrived to take him away.  Timmy was grabbed by his legs and skin, and thrown on top of the other calves, and then driven to a livestock auction.

 

As Timmy, unknowingly, waited for his turn to be auctioned off, he finally, for the first time, reached his feet on unsteady legs.  This pleased the auction workers greatly as they could now push and kick him into the auction ring rather than drag him. Timmy was then purchased by the area's largest veal processor. He, along with all the other calves destined to become veal, were loaded into a truck and delivered to a completely enclosed barn on the processing plant's property.

Timmy will never use his legs again to run or play with other calves. You see, exercise of any kind will produce marbling in his flesh, which is frowned upon for veal. Instead, he and the other calves will be kept tightly packed, inside small crates, unable to move at all.  Their urine and feces will pass through the grated floor into a cleaning area below - at least they are not expected to wallow in their own filth. Small comfort.

 

For 16 weeks this tiny crate will be Timmy's home. He will never have the chance to suckle his mother or be comforted by her, he will never feel the sun or play in a pasture or field, he will never even have the chance to eat grass or grain. As ironic as it may sound, as a "milk fed veal calf," he will be fed only a milk formula supplement so that his flesh will maintain the white and creamy pink color that is so prized by those to whom veal is a delicacy.

 

And that my friends, is the story of the short, sad life of Timmy the veal calf...and the millions of other male calves just like him.

 

Please help us to get justice for baby calves like Timmy. So far, cruel veal crates are only banned in eight states. Our goal is to achieve similar bans in other veal producing states like Indiana and Pennsylvania. More proof of wrongdoing is needed. More evidence of abuse is required. A stronger timeline of cruelty is a must. 

 

And that's why Animals' Angels is working so diligently in the field to document the horrendous conditions for these babies caught in this hidden industry.  It is a difficult task, since these activities so often happen behind closed doors and to keep from view of prying eyes, even the transports take place in the middle of the night. But we are determined now more than ever after having documented Timmy's fate! 

We know that exposure is the best way to bring about improvement.  Raising awareness among the consumers as to the suffering linked to the food on their plate is the key to the changes these animals so desperately need and deserve.  YOU can be that change. We need you. More importantly, the animals need you. Please donate today.