Thanks to the unknown savior!
Good examples have to be followed!
My best regards to all, Venus
Month: February 2020
Inside Europe’s biggest hunting fair where trophy hunters buy and sell grim goods
EXCLUSIVE: At Germany’s Jagd & Hund ‘Hunting and Dog’ trade fair trophy hunters and buyers travel from around the world to trade in the slaughter of wild animals in the name of sport
With a smile on her face, a middle-aged woman invites me to try a dining room chair for comfort.
She confirms matter-of-factly the £1,189 chair is made from zebra hide.
We are in a vast conference centre full of animal skins, hunting trophies – and some unpleasant people.
It is only 10.30am but the room is already packed with punters, some with kids in tow, others with furs – with the animal’s head still attached – draped around their shoulders.
NThe 45-year-old owns Take Aim Safaris, which offers trips to hunt lions, elephants, hippos, giraffes, leopards, zebras and a host of other species in South Africa and Zimbabwe. He boasts of having taken part in over 400 game hunts.
The shaven-headed hunter greeted visitors on his stall this weekend under a banner that said “your gateway to hunting”.
His brochure says: “I have personally hunted the big five and dangerous seven as a client. I know exactly what is required to make your safari a successful one. South Africa would also be ideal for family hunting holidays.”
Above – the Mirror reporter amongst the stands
Nearly 180 trophy hunting firms from around the world flocked to this six-day event – called Jagd & Hund, meaning Hunting and Dog – lauding the slaughter of wild animals in the name of sport.
Among the Brits cashing in on the bloodthirsty safaris was Carl Knight, born in Epsom, Surrey, and now living in South Africa with his wife and two children.
Defending his organised shoots of wild animals in Africa, he says on his website: “Hunters are real conservationists, we are doing good work, we won’t be discouraged.”
Last night conservationists blasted the British presence at the convention.
Eduardo Goncalves, of the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting, said: “What an appalling ‘hobby’, and what a disgusting way to make a living.
“At this fair Carl Knight will have sold off the lives of countless defenceless animals to people who kill for kicks. He shames our country.
“People will be furious that the law still allows Brits to shoot zebras for a laugh and then have them skinned to turn into seat covers. How could anyone sit on them knowing the animal has died a cruel, callous and senseless death?”
Most stalls were lined with furs such as bears and springboks. There were stuffed animals including lions, hyenas and tigers.
Above – animal traps for sale.
There are now less than 4,000 tigers left in the wild, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature.
Items on offer included traps, a fox cushion for £84, and a bear skin complete with head for £849.
Many stalls at the fair used zebra skins as makeshift tablecloths.
I also encountered hunters selling cut-price safaris to kill imperilled species such as giraffes for 3,000 euros (roughly £2,600).
The booth of Okambara Elephant Lodge was staffed by two women standing next to a trophy of a giraffe. One of the reps said she has been a hunting guide for three years, adding: “Hunting giraffes is rather easy because there are many roaming near the lodge.”
First Class Trophy, a taxidermy company based in Denmark, was punting a new smartphone app boasting “easy and fast” quotes for stuffing your animal of choice.
European trophy hunters have killed about 75,000 protected and threatened animals in the past decade.
It is estimated 7,000 threatened animals will be slaughtered and brought into Europe by trophy hunters in the coming months.
Manon Dene, from Humane Society International, said: “This kind of trophy hunting fair outlines how shockingly easy it is for individuals to travel almost anywhere in the world to shoot as many iconic or endangered species as their bank account allows.
“To witness an event like this taking place in the heart of Europe, that glorifies the killing of wild animals for thrills and bragging rights, was truly upsetting.”
The Mirror (UK) is campaigning for an end to the barbaric practice of trophy hunting.
We are calling on the (UK) Government to ban the import of animals that are shot for pleasure.
The Government is consulting until February 25 on whether trophy hunting imports should be outlawed.
Mr Goncalves said: “We have to do away with this evil ‘sport’. We may never get another chance to put an end to this disgrace. Let’s kick trophy hunting into touch once and for all.”
You can help the campaign by emailing huntingtrophyconsultation@defra.gov.uk and saying you support a total ban.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/inside-europes-biggest-trade-fair-21424042.amp
Posted at Martin Balluch ( Association Against Animal Factories, VGT, Austria)
Once again hard to believe!
The Association Against Animal Factories (VGT) – Deputy Chairman David Richter, father of three children, received this threatening letter with the threat of death and the announcement of an arson attack.
Written on a typewriter.
There is a hunting society in the Leibniz district (Austria) that clearly illegally releases and kills pheasants. David Richter documented this together with other activists. That is the reaction to it!
In addition, there were several notifications against (!) David Richter from these hunters according to the General Data Protection Regulation because he had documented the hunters during the (illegal !!) hunt for illegally exposed pheasants without permission!
But now it only comes: A hunter wrote a letter to the state hunter of Styria, pointing out these abuses of illegal abandonment of pheasants and demanding that the hunting license be withdrawn.
The hunting overseer of this hunt then filed a complaint against the VGT-OBMANN deputy for defamation.
According to the public prosecutor’s office, criminal proceedings have also been opened against the deputy VGT chairman.
But this incredibly brutal death threat is totally irrelevant to the state attorney, it seems.
Really shocking how the animal rights activists are treated as second class people over and over again. They are charged with the trifle trifles, but the most massive attacks and threats against animal rights activists are not pursued.
IT IS THE SAME EVERY TIME !!!
Translation of the threat (original see below)
As an animal lover, Mr. Richter, your days are numbered.
As the spokesman for the association, your days are also numbered.
We have located your residence in Thal.
We, as hunting clubs have certainly reserved a scrap load for you on occasion, or we will set your house on fire.
So it does not continue that you destroy all hunts and question our tradition.
The XXXXXX will also happen.
The “pork” farmers from the Leibniz district also join.
Traditionally, we don’t let psychologically ill patients get us down.
It cannot be that a whole profession is drawn into discredit ???
The original text
And I mean: “Both the serial killer and the violent and cunning hunter thinks he has something important to share. Brain abnormalities are strikingly common in serial killers. Violence leaves traces in the brain after a short time ”.
Why are hunters so uninhibited and aggressive?
Because the state and the politicians are behind them.
With the support of a corrupt policy millions of animals are brutally murdered in the forest from the hunter’s hand.
And that happens in an EU country that calls itself civilized!!
Evolution of hunters:
From monkey to a bunch of shit
My best regards to all, Venus
The following is a repeat of an article in the latest OIPA newsletter relating to the Coronavirus. For pictures, please click on the link given at the end.
THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK AND ANIMAL WELFARE IN CHINA
With the escalation of the coronavirus, China banned the transport and sale of wild animals, prohibiting trading to markets, supermarkets, restaurants and online platforms.
It is believed that the source of the infection is the wild animal section of the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan, which is known for selling live animals and slaughtering them on the spot. Here hygiene levels are extremely poor: wild and domesticated animals, along with their urine, faeces, and bodily fluids, come in contact with sales clerks and customers, with the animals being butchered on the floor, blood splashing everywhere and flies feasting on the carcasses.
To date, there are very few laws in China that protect animals from abuse and mistreatment but, hopefully, with the growing number of activists, especially among young people, along with increasing knowledge about health hazards, there will be more consideration regarding animal welfare in the near future.
The coronavirus infection has already spread across half a dozen nations, including Thailand, Japan, Australia, France, Canada and the United States, causing over 420 deaths and the lockdown of at least 13 Chinese cities.
Scientist have confirmed that the disease, as 70% of human pathogens, has been transmitted from an animal. It is believed that the source of the infection is the wild animal section of the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan, in China, which is well known for selling unusual live animals and slaughtering them on the spot.
Among these, wolf pups, scorpions, squirrels, porcupines, turtles, crocodiles, monkeys, dogs, cats and other live animals are sold for human consumption. These type of markets are common across China, Vietnam and other areas of south-eastern Asia, and are called “wet-markets” because of the large quantities of water that are used to slop the floors. Here, sanitations standards hardly exist and hygiene levels are extremely poor: wild and domesticated animals, along with their urine, faeces, and bodily fluids, come in contact with sales clerks and customers, with the animals being butchered on the floor, blood splashing everywhere and flies feasting on the carcasses.
This is the ideal place for contamination to occur and for virus and bacteria to spread. It seems that the outbreak of both the avian flu and SARS (Severe acute respiratory syndrome) originated in these wet markets as a consequence of keeping live animals.
The consumption of wild animal meat is common and considered a luxury in China, especially among the older generations. Moreover, wild and exotic animals and their parts are still used in traditional medicine to cure ailments or as aphrodisiacs. It is part of the Chinese culture, although consumers do not seem to be aware of the public health treat, especially when it is impossible to know the provenience of the animals and, therefore, to be sure if they are free of disease.
After the SARS outbreak in 2003, which killed over 750 people, there was a temporary ban on the wild animal markets. Experts feel like the Chinese government should then have learned that diseases can easily spread from animals to humans in markets where wild, farmed and domestic animals are clumped together in unhygienic conditions, but the ban was withdrawn. With the escalation of the coronavirus, China again banned the transport and sale of wild animals, prohibiting trading to markets, supermarkets, restaurants and online platforms. Unfortunately, the ban will only be in force until the epidemic will be eliminated across the country, leading to think that wildlife trade will be allowed again, as it did after the SARS crisis.
This is a vicious circle: the permanent ban on the sale of wildlife, in China and in other countries, is necessary to reduce the risk of new viruses to emerge, potentially even more dangerous than the past ones.
To date, there are very few laws in China that protect animals from abuse and mistreatment, although there is growing awareness regarding the concepts of animal welfare in some contexts, such as in research and in zoos. Livestock farming has incredibly increased in recent years and China is now one of the world’s main producer of animal-sourced food, but there is no requirement for humane slaughter.
Half of the global pig population and over 60% of farmed fish comes from this country. About 10,000 Asiatic black bears are kept it tiny cages for bile production and other animals, including endangered species, are exploited so their parts can be used for traditional medicine. China is also the biggest producer of fur, which has shocking farming and skinning practices.
Animal cruelty is not a punishable offence in China and it also threatens people’s health and the ecosystem. The political environment does not seem interested in protecting animals, but, hopefully, with the growing number of activists, especially among young people, along with increasing knowledge about health hazards, there will be more consideration regarding animal welfare in the near future.
https://www.oipa.org/international/chinese-markets-and-coronavirus/
Good news, friends!
Received anonymously from Unoffensive Animal:
Enjoying hiking in the beautiful areas Sauerland, Siegerland und Bergisches Land in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), Germany.
Unfortunately tons of hunting towers destroy the nice view.
Therefore but only for the liberation of all forest animals, these have to disappear.
It’s always good to carry your bushcraft tools with you.
https://animalliberationpressoffice.org/
And…you all!! watch out for the traps for the forest animals too.
They still exist, they are illegal and medieval, they also have to disappear!
Thanks, ALF!!
My best regards to all, Venus
Germany 2020
These recordings are no exception they come from a typical German pig breeding. The video was shot by the ARIWA organization.
Animals are treated like objects.
The pig mothers are always locked up.
In metal cages or in agonizing, barren concrete bays
They can never take care of their children
The newborn piglets are sorted into mutant mothers, mutilated and killed
In the animal industry, only the “product” counts, not the living, unique living being
Live vegan and campaign for an end to animal production.
Excerpts from this video are reported on February 3 in the television program SPIEGEL.TV , Germany, which is actually a very popular program.
And I mean...In the middle of Europe, in a country where the Animal Welfare Act is enshrined in the Basic Law such crimes are still legal !! Legal!
And our humorous animal welfare law says: “Nobody should cause pain, suffering or damage to an animal without a reasonable reason.”
The meat and milk mafia have invented and even legalized their reasonable reasons for decades: because it’s so cheap, because the politicians are behind our backs, and because we can make good money from animal suffering.
And last but not least because the consumer wants it that way: Cheap.
The EU’s silence about “end the cage age” is gradually becoming very suspect.
What do we actually expect from the EU?
The EU is the biggest agricultural lobby, we know it.
The farmers in Germany protest against the anesthetic during piglet castration, the farmers are jointly responsible for groundwater contamination, for insect death and antibiotic resistance.
Farmers find it completely ok to put pigs in cages for 4 months, in which they cannot turn around, mothers take away their children, kill excess piglets and if they have exploited cows enough, they let them kill the last money close.
They keep thousands of animals in stalls, densely crowded, with no activity or daylight.
The animals stand on slatted floors in their own shit, which then accumulates as manure, and poisons the environment.
The Agriculture Minister of Germany thinks it is OK if all of this is extended for 17 years.
And the EU also thinks it’s OK.
Only 1.5 EU citizens do not find it ok.
But luckily we live in a “democracy” where animals are tortured because an oligarchy defines the “reasonable” reasons for it.
My best regards to all, Venus
Hi Mark – Greenpeace activists have just shut down BP’s headquarters in central London, after delivering 500 solar panels to the new CEO.
They’re here to “welcome” in BP’s new CEO, and show him what he needs to do to tackle the climate emergency: switch BP to 100% renewable energy – or shut the company down! It’s the only way we can get out of this crisis.
Can you help drive this urgent message home to BP’s new CEO? BP really care about their public image, so the bigger we can make this on social media, the more pressure the new CEO will feel.
Around the world, the climate emergency is wreaking havoc on people’s lives. Burning fossil fuels like oil and gas has got us into this mess. And every day, BP are making the crisis worse.
BP already have more fossil fuels on their books than we can afford to burn if we’re to avoid total climate breakdown. But unbelievably, BP are planning to spend $71 billion digging up new oil and gas on top of that. [1]
If BP continue down this path, it will push the climate even closer to breaking point – and that means more frequent and even more severe climate fires and floods. BP must immediately stop digging for new oil and gas and go 100% renewable! Can you help get that message to BP’s new CEO?
More news and reading relating to this:
https://news.sky.com/story/bp-hq-temporarily-shut-down-amid-climate-protest-11926756
Here is a link to the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture:
At the top left you can read in either German or English – just select.
https://www.bmel.de/EN/Homepage/homepage_node.html;jsessionid=0EBA7248A085CC0E8DBB7490BAFEA764.2_cid288
On the site it tells us that:
Link – https://www.bmel.de/EN/Animals/AnimalWelfare/animal-welfare_node.html
Animal welfare is enshrined as a State goal in the German Basic Law and regulated in the Animal Welfare Act. Under the latter, animal keepers are obliged, in order to promote the welfare of their animals, to comply with the applicable regulations.
Animal welfare is an important issue for the BMEL. The ministry works on developing the existing regulations to support animal welfare. Other examples of ways in which the BMEL promotes animal welfare include sup-porting research projects, investments in livestock husbandry systems that conform to animal welfare principles, and the development of alternatives to animal testing. The ministry also supports and promotes better animal welfare standards – including for animal transportation – at EU and international level.
Why then we ask are they attempting to downgrade the methods for keeping intensive pigs ?
You can decide this. We think you will agree with us rather than them !
If you wish to write to the Ministry about their pig keeping proposals, or anything else, then write directly to them at:
poststelle@bmel.bund.de
SAMPLE LETTER
We have put sample letter together which you could copy, modify and send to the German ministry at https://www.bmel.de/DE/Servicemenue/Kontakt/kontakt_node.html
Send by E-Mail: poststelle@bmel.bund.de
You can change the letter to meet your requirements; but please ensure you do not miss the main points.
Please add your name, nationality and address (if you wish).
Here is the sample letter which you can copy and send; modified if you wish:
Date:
Sir / Madam;
On your official site you inform us that:
Animal welfare is an important issue for the BMEL. The ministry works on developing the existing regulations to support animal welfare. Other examples of ways in which the BMEL promotes animal welfare include sup-porting research projects, investments in livestock husbandry systems that conform to animal welfare principles, and the development of alternatives to animal testing. The ministry also supports and promotes better animal welfare standards – including for animal transportation – at EU and international level.
Decent animal welfare stops the cages; this is what over 1.5 million EU citizens want, which (so far) are despised by the EU, because they (the citizens) don’t even get any information about the development of this debate about what they voted for.
Ex-EU parliamentarian Stefan.B.Eck, independent, initiated the abolition of the painful rabbit breeding and petitioned against it, EU Commissioner Andriukaitis (then responsible) told him: “Stefan, I`m sorry, I can’t do anything for it “.
Then Stefan Eck said in his speech to the Commission:
“The EU Commission must never put the word “morality” in its mouth; never!!”
So, as a ‘Ministry’ responsible for alleged ‘animal welfare’; can you please then explain to me – why them are you attempting to change the regulations relating to intensive pig welfare on 14/2/20 to make things worse for pigs ? – where is your morality, or are you just a legislator for the farming industry and nothing else; regardless of the negative impact your decisions have on animal welfare ? – your proposals will mean to even deprive pigs of space to stretch their legs ! – there is nothing ‘moral’ from you.
Your proposed approach which will be decided on 14/2 will neither develop existing regulations to IMPROVE animal welfare – in fact it will do quite the opposite; and by attempting to undertake changes to the regulations you are NOT promoting better animal welfare standards !
I would be very keen to hear your reasoning as to why you are attempting to downgrade animal welfare for intensive pig systems; when in fact you should be working to make intensive cage systems a thing of the past.
I request that for anything near to decent welfare standards, you work urgently to move away from intensive cage systems and instead promote free range – Cage Free Systems.
Clearly from your proposals, animal welfare improvements are NOT one of your priorities.
Please do not pretend to me and others that you are working to improve animal welfare when we know that your proposed changes for intensive pig keeping will result in the opposite of that.
Do not lie to us – break the cages and set the pigs and others free into a world of free range.
Yours;
Name
Nationality:
You have until BEFORE 14/2/20 to send a mail to the Ministry – please do not delay.
Regards WAV – 5/2/20.
We are currently attempting to get e mail contact details for the Ministry of Agriculture so that you can write to them expressing your disgust at their attempts to change the legislation. We will publish as soon as we have information – WAV.
Dear all;
Here is an update on the situation relating to the German pig issue.
Please see our recent past posts:
1 This gives an overview of the situation – https://worldanimalsvoice.com/2020/02/01/an-open-letter-to-the-eurogroup-for-animals/
2 And here is a rather dramatic video showing the situation for intensively reared (caged) pigs -WARNING: Distressing Images – https://worldanimalsvoice.com/2020/02/03/germany-please-make-the-connection/
Over the last few days (early February) we have collaborated with our good friends at Compassion In World Farming (UK) – https://www.ciwf.org.uk/ and also established very promising links with contacts at CIWF Italia (Italy) – https://www.ciwf.it/ to further actions on this issue. CIWF UK are currently running the campaign to End the Cage Age right across Europe. Please read more and see video footage at – https://www.ciwf.org.uk/our-campaigns/end-the-cage-age/
And so on the (German) subject of extending the pig boxes for 17 years:
As Venus has rightly written in communications today:
It is a first-class crime that these metal prisons are still allowed in a country like Germany, which – at least in theory – has anchored ‘animal welfare’ as a state goal in the Basic Law.
In the previous version of the Animal Welfare / Animal Husbandry Ordinance (1), Section 5 determines Section 24 (4)…is clear:
(Pig) Box stands must be designed so that:
– the pigs cannot injure themselves and
– Each pig can stand free, lie down and stretch its head and side members.
A total of three courts have already ruled that the sows must lie down in the crate and that the limbs must be able to stretch out on their side. Anytime and unhindered.
The legal regulation was so clear that the Magdeburg Administrative Court, the Higher Administrative Court of the State of Saxony-Anhalt and the Federal Administrative Court expressly approved this in the years 2014 to 2016.
Now the Federal Government, together with Agriculture Minister Julia Klöckner (CDU), wants to delete this part of the regulation, which provides that the sows in the crates may at least stretch their limbs and their heads in a lying position. Only in this way (by deletion) she can legalize her decision to keep these cages for another 15/17 years.
The German Minister’s proposal is really dangerous for different reasons:
– It would legalise the suffering of millions of German sows in narrow stalls for the next 15-17 years and to do that it would set a precedent, i.e. worsen existing legislation by deleting the national legislation paragraph saying that sows should stretch their legs. A very dangerous precedent, which could then be repeated on other issues.
– It could undermine ECI asks as Germany will soon hold the presidency of the EU.
We comment – As an EU ‘civilised’ nation; should Germany be attempting at all costs to improve its animal welfare, rather than taking steps back; as this proposal would ? – How are nations in the Far East (for example) expected to improve their welfare when Germany adopts this kind of negative stance ?
That’s what it’s about here.
The Federal Council should have voted on this (practically unlawful) extension on December 2, 2019 (i.e. approval would allow the crates for another 17 years).
The decision was postponed to February 14 2020, because we (in the animal welfare movement) protested and blessed Klöckner with petitions and demos and war over the Internet.
The decision of February 14th will be binding. How sad that this is the same date (14/2) when you should show love and respect – Valentines Day.
Many groups and citizens from all over the EU, and also other nations, are trying to make their voices heard about this very important issue before, and on 14th February.
In view of the 27th of January 2020, (a session of the German Agri Committee) the 27th was a ‘non-public one’ and little has been revealed after it.
What we know so far:
- The Agri Committee seems to have made many amendments to the draft sow bill but has still approved it (it could have rejected it)
- IMPORTANT Positive – But it also seems that the Land Sachsen Anhalt managed to have an ‘amendment’ approved which basically says that sows should be able to stretch their legs during the phase-out period!
- Phase out period for sow stalls should have been shortened from 17 to 10 years- for farrowing crates no change.
So, point 2. Above (the Amendment) could potentially mean the end of the Minister’s proposal. Since the whole construction of her new regulation was based on making current sow stalls legal. And this can be done only by deleting the paragraph mentioning leg-stretching. The submitted Proposal changes this and says that sows should be able to stretch their legs during the phase-out period
It is getting legal and becoming a strong fight by both pro animal welfare advocates; and also the government who wish change. With the Point 2 issue above we (in the welfare movement) are hopeful of a positive end result; but actions will continue to the end. For the pigs, regardless of the result; their confinement will not end. – the ‘Eternal Treblinka’ policy.
CIWF and its partners from the ECI and Eurogroup coalitions will participate in a protest on the 14th in front of the Bundesrat, an action being coordinated by friends at Four Paws – https://www.four-paws.org/campaigns-topics/topics/farm-animals . They are also exploring additional actions.
So; whoever you are and wherever you are, if you want to help get part justice for the caged pigs then search the web and try to take part in written or physical protests. There is one final chance on 14/2 and it needs to be in the favour of the pigs that are suffering enough now as it is, let alone with this changed legislation.
Please keep up the fight and be a voice until then at least – there is very little time left.
Regards to all of you from Mark, Venus (WAV) – Annamaria, Philip and all the crew at CIWF (UK and Italy).
https://worldanimalsvoice.com/2019/10/23/germany-13-million-pigs-end-up-in-the-garbage/
Photo – CIWF
Have You Seen This Baby ? – Vegan Street
The Dirty Dairy Secret – It is still cheaper to kill male calves than it is to rear them.
Thanks for sending Stacey – https://our-compass.org/2020/02/03/dairys-dirty-secret-its-still-cheaper-to-kill-male-calves-than-to-rear-them/
Please note the use of euphemistic terms and phrases such as “early disposal”, ie., killing infants; “it”, ie, a male, him. Please also note a serious lack of ethics or consideration for sentient beings and the “victimized” farmer who is unable to kill the calves herself but has no issue with hiring others to do so.
Please never forget that caring does not equal killing, if farmers cared for the animals, they would not exploit or kill them; there is no legitimate way to consider the well-being of an animal if you exploit and kill him/her. Terms such as “red tractor”, “high welfare”, “cage-free”, etc., are phrases meant to console human conscience, while animals are still exploited: subjected to confinement; inflicted with mutilations; separation of mother and child, causing extreme distress and psychological trauma; stealing of milk for other species; and abbreviated lives ended in violent death.
Here’s your dairy:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/mar/26/dairy-dirty-secret-its-still-cheaper-to-kill-male-calves-than-to-rear-them (UK Newspaper – London)
Dairy farms need female cows to produce milk but with little demand for male calves many farmers can’t afford to keep them beyond birth
The number of male calves being killed straight after birth is on the rise again, despite efforts by the dairy industry to end the practice known as ‘the dirty secret’.
A Guardian analysis shows that it can cost a farmer up to £30 per calf to sell it on for beef or veal, while early disposal costs just £9. A growing number of farmers feel compelled to take the latter option, with 95,000 killed on-farm in the most recent set of figures.
Dairy farms depend on female cows to produce milk, so when male calves are born, they are surplus to requirements and farmers are currently faced with few options.
They can immediately dispose of the calf, either by shooting it themselves or contracting a knackerman to do it [licensed slaughter business that will kill or collect dead farm animals]. They can sell the calf to be raised for veal or beef. Or they can sell the calf for live export. A few farms are experimenting with keeping the calves with the mothers for longer, but this is an expensive and rarely chosen option.
Early disposal is known as the ‘dirty secret’ by farmers, and none relish it. But keeping the calf to sell on to be raised for beef or veal means the farmer will have to rear them for two to four weeks to a good enough weight to interest buyers, at a typical cost of around £2 a day, with selling prices at market as low as £25-40. This doesn’t include extra costs such as getting the calf to market, registering its birth or veterinary bills.
In contrast, shooting the calf costs as little as £9, including the cost of the knackerman who will incinerate the body, or in some cases send them to kennels to be turned into dog food. Calves shot on farm cannot enter the human food chain and farmers can only dispose of calves themselves if they have a licensed incinerator.
Dairy farmers in the UK have been under extreme pressure to cut costs for the last two decades, with milk long used as a loss leader by supermarkets to draw shoppers into their stores. “Some farmers might do the maths and figure out after rearing, transport and time away from the farm it might not add up,” says Chris Dodds, from the Livestock Auctioneers’ Association (LAA).
The estimated 95,000 calves disposed on-farm represents 19% of the male dairy calves born, according to the most recent figures from the dairy industry body AHDB. In 2013 the number had fallen to 13% of male dairy calves born from a previous 21%. The exact numbers shot on farm is difficult to collate as farmers destroying calves within a few days of birth on farm do not need to register the birth – and neither does the company collecting and disposing of the animal.
One dairy farmer, who asked to remain anonymous, explained to the Guardian that she could not find a market for her male calves. “This year we’re shooting the Jersey crosses, because we’ve not got the space or money to keep them. It doesn’t make me feel good.
“We get the knackerman out to do it. I could never do it. I can’t even feed them if I know they are going to be dead in a few days.” She said the issue was still “kept under the carpet” by the wider food and farming industry and that consumer markets needed to be developed and farmers financially supported to rear the calves.
Another farmer told the Guardian: “I shoot black and white bull calves [the Holstein Friesian breed that predominates the dairy sector in the UK], but am still not hardened to like doing it. We have too many calves here. The space available on the farm [an 800-cow dairy herd] is only suitable for a maximum of 80. The less calves I have the better for the overall farm. This is a business and it has to be financially viable to make it worthwhile.”
A joint NGO, retailer, farming and government initiative to promote markets for bull calves, that closed in 2013, estimated more than £100m was being lost from calves killed before realising their economic worth.
The alternatives to early disposal are not simple. Half a million calves used to be exported from dairy farms via ferries to the continent, which has a larger market for veal. But public protests and industry pressure against animals being sent on long journeys in lorries and lower animal welfare standards in other countries has seen that outlet largely disappear. No calves were exported from England last year, although an estimated 5,000 calves did leave from Scotland and a further 20,000 from Northern Ireland.
Attempts to promote a market for high welfare British rosé veal, championed by the likes of Jamie Oliver and Jimmy Doherty, have met with mixed success with margins for farmers tight and consumer interest low. The RSPCA is calling for the food industry to be allowed to rename veal as rosé beef to end consumer misconception of it as a white meat produced from calves kept in crates and fed milk – a system that was banned in the UK in the early 1990s.
Another alternative is to rear the calves for longer and sell them as beef. One of the companies doing that is Buitelaar, set up in 2006 and which collected more than 35,000 calves from dairy farms across the UK last year. It arranges for them to be reared indoors on a mixed diet and then sold after 12-14 months through UK supermarkets, restaurants and fast food chains. But some breeds such as Jersey cows are not seen as suitable for this option.
There has been a steady growth in the use and effectiveness of sexed semen since the early 1990s, accounting for 18% of total semen sales in 2017. It increases costs for farmers but can reduce the proportion of male calves being born to less than 10%.
Supermarkets could play an important role in reforming the situation and providing a market for meat from bull calves. Tesco, Aldi, Iceland, Lidl, the Co-op and Asda do not ban their milk suppliers from shooting bull calves and it is not outlawed under organic standards. But some of the large chains – the Co-op, Morrisons, Sainsburys and Waitrose – have launched schemes, in conjunction with beef companies such as ABP, Buitelaar and Dunbia, to collect calves and ensure they are reared rather than destroyed.
The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) warns that post-Brexit trade deals could make it harder for farmers to find a market for male calves. “A trade deal that allows cheap beef from countries with lower standards of production will most definitely damage many of the positive initiatives that have been developed over recent years to utilise dairy bull calf beef and veal within the UK market,” said NFU dairy advisor Siân Davies.
A small number of dairy farmers are experimenting with trying to make more use of the bull calves. David Finlay, who runs Cream O’Galloway, one of the UK’s largest “ethical” dairy farms in southwest Scotland, keeps his male and female calves with their mothers for the first five months. The male calves are then reared separately before being sold to a veal producer at eight months.
He loses a large proportion of the milk produced by the female cows, but says his use of a dual purpose breeds of cows (good for milk and meat) means he gains a better market price for the animals. “The message coming to farmers from their peers and the industry is still to chase litres at all costs. But if you are chasing milk there will be a cost in terms of bull calves.”
Above – Typical US calf rearing system
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