British dairy farmers have no market for their veal, thousands of live male calves are exported from Britain to supply the Continental market. High-welfare veal campaigners hope that a stronger home market will mean that fewer animals will be making the journey to the Continent each year.
Milking cows are separated from their calves after giving birth and made to continue lactating. Female calves can become milk cows but the herd does not need males and dairy breeds are not ideally suited to rearing for beef. So redundant male calves can be kept with the herd and reared for rose veal.
A spokesperson for the National Farmers' Union (NFU) says, "The key to reducing calf exports is to develop [home] markets, so the calves are worth more at home than they would be abroad." The choice is horrific: either shoot them when they're a few days old, or condemn them to a horrendous fate by exporting them to Europe, where veal production thrives. There they will be reared in conditions that are illegal in the UK.
British veal is produced to the highest welfare standards has pink, not white, flesh and is tender and delicately flavoured. Called 'rosé veal' it is the meat for the conscientious carnivore.
Calves are suckled by their mothers, eat natural food and live outdoors in summer. The RSPCA gives high-welfare veal its approval with its Freedom Food label and would like more meat-eaters to buy it. But production can only be driven by demand. Until demand grows unwanted dairy calves will continue to be shot or exported.
Although veal is a popular meat in Continental countries it has never been so in Britain. Much of its continuing unpopularity is doubtless a result of the well-reported, and inhumane, practices used to produce white, or milk-fed, veal that is produced on the Continent.
Members of the Guild of Q Butchers are committed to British beef. Ask yours for British rose veal from calves raised on a diet of milk, water and roughage, reared in open housing with natural light and straw bedding. A good independent butcher should be able to respond to customers' requests.
"The more veal you eat in this country, the greater the incentive for farmers to rear veal calves here in Britain," said Anthony Gibson, of the National Farmers Union.
It's not as though, if you are a meat-eater, you don't eat other young animals "veal is to a cow what lamb is to a sheep".
Compassion in World Farming backs British veal - but only as long as it is reared to the highest standards.
If you drink milk, eat meat, and believe in buying local, then you really should give British rosé veal a try.
See http://www.cookitsimply.com For Veal Recipes
