American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall was invited to Indiana by the Indiana Farm Bureau to learn more about the issues impacting agriculture and rural communities.
Nutrition is key when feeding veal calves. Farmers ensure their calves are fed a balanced and nutritious diet as health and welfare are priorities on the farm.
Are you are looking for locally produced, delicious, high protein, sustainably raised meat? American veal is the answer!
The updated Veal Quality Assurance (VQA) program reflects a science-based technical review conducted by an advisory group.
The American Veal Association (AVA) is excited to embark on the first-ever Life Cycle Assessment of the milk-fed veal industry in the United States.
As families prepare to celebrate the holidays, veal is a great center-of-the-plate option for these special occasions.
The American Veal Association (AVA) has released newly approved Ethical Commitments, an evolution of our Statement of Principles, first adopted by the organization in 2010.
The American Veal Association Board of Directors has named Sonia Arnold, Ph.D., president of the organization, which represents businesses and individuals in the milk-fed veal industry.
The American Veal Association Board of Directors elected new officers at their January meeting to serve the veal industry.
The American Veal Association is celebrating the 10-year anniversary of its Statement of Principles.
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has updated its policy regarding the care of veal calves. The change recognizes the advances the industry has made in improving housing and care for veal calves.
The policy was updated after Dr. Fred Gingrich, DVM, Executive Director of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners, and Dr. Renée Dewell, DVM, MS, Center for Food Security and Public Health, Iowa State University, toured veal farms and reported their observations to the AVMA.
“Our group was very impressed with the commitment to animal care demonstrated at the farms we visited. These family farmers provide the highest standard of care to the animals entrusted to them. We appreciated the amount of time, effort and dedication needed to provide this level of care to each individual animal,” Dr. Gingrich noted following his tour of veal farms.
All veal calves are raised in group housing, as veal farmers achieved a goal on Jan. 1, 2018, set by the industry. Veal calves are not tethered or caged. Calves move freely in group pens once they reach about 8 weeks of age, which is when the newborn calf has developed its immunity and can safely mingle with other calves.
“The housing systems were clean, comfortable and provided all the requirements to raise high quality veal in a manner that puts the animal’s needs first,” Dr. Gingrich said.
Veal calves are raised according to the International Five Freedoms of Animal Wellbeing: The freedom to express normal behavior; freedom from thirst, hunger and malnutrition; freedom from discomfort; freedom from pain, injury, and disease; freedom from fear and distress.
Veal calves are male calves that come from dairy farms. They are raised until they reach approximately 22 weeks of age and weigh about 500 pounds. See more information in this video.
Veal farmers make sure the animals’ needs are taken care of and that they receive proper nutrition. The calves are not anemic, and their diet is monitored to ensure they are receiving necessary nutrients, especially iron. Dr. Sonia Arnold explains that the calves have free access to feed and water. Watch this video for more detail.
“The level of care provided to these animals by farmers and veterinarians is outstanding and its an honor to be able to showcase this to animal welfare leaders in our industry,” Dr. Gingrich
The American Veterinary Medical Association represents more than 95,000 veterinarians with the mission to lead the profession by advocating for its members and advancing the science and practice of veterinary medicine to improve animal and human health.
Beginning January 1, 2020, all veal meat sold for consumption California – including veal from calves raised outside of the state of California – must have 43 square feet of floor space per calf. The new law was established when 63% of California’s voters passed Proposition 12 which prohibits a business owner or operator from selling “whole veal meat” as well as “whole pork meat” from calves and sows that were not housed according to California’s space requirements. Pork producers have two years, that is, by Jan. 1, 2022, to meet California’s confinement requirement of 24 square feet per sow.
American Veal Association member farmers and companies are advocates for animal wellbeing and their dedication to the health of their animals is evident by the industry’s efforts over the past ten years to change their housing facilities for all milk-fed raised veal calves to group housing. The industry collectively invested more than $150 million to renovate and build new barns that enable calves to be raised in group pens where calves have space to lay down, turn around, and socialize with other calves. These standards set by AVA ensure farmers are raising calves to meet the internationally recognized Five Freedoms of Animal Wellbeing. Additionally, 95 percent of all veal meat comes from farms that meet the Veal Quality Assurance program as certified by licensed veterinarians.
Given the high standards of care that milk-fed veal calves currently receive, the AVA believes the new law will not add to the wellbeing of the animals, nor will it make the meat -- which is already a very safe product --- any safer. This ruling should be concerning to others according to AVA president, Dale Bakke. “Veal and pork production practices are being dictated by people with alternative motives who do not have the wellbeing of the animals or food safety in mind.”
As reported in Farm Futures, Dr. Keith E. Belk, head of the Department of Animal Sciences at Colorado State University, submitted the following statement of declaration in a court request by the North American Meat Institute to stop the law: “Sow and veal housing systems mostly have been evaluated in the scientific literature for their impact on welfare parameters,” Belk states. “There does not exist a body of scientific research identifying a causal link between sow and veal housing system and food safety. The scientific evidence may, in fact, support improved food safety using existing conventional production systems.”
The North American Meat Institute filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of California’s Proposition 12. In November, Judge Christina Snyder of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California denied NAMI’s motion for a preliminary injunction. NAMI has appealed the ruling to the Ninth Circuit.
Gary Baise reported in Farm Futures that Judge Snyder said, “Proposition 12 does not have a discriminatory effect that requires per se invalidation.” She believes California and the animal rights groups have a right to determine that animal production techniques used in 49 other states “…are inhumane and harmful.”
North American Meat Institute Challenges California’s Proposition 12 in Court
Friday, October 4, 2019
LOS ANGELES, CA – The North American Meat Institute (Meat Institute) today filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of California’s Proposition 12: The Farm Animal Confinement Initiative (Prop 12 or the law). The Meat Institute opposes the law because it will hurt the nation’s food value chain by significantly increasing costs for producers and consumers.
“Prop 12 hurts the family on a budget with higher prices for pork, veal and eggs, and unfairly punishes livestock producers outside of California by forcing them to spend millions more just to access California markets,” said Meat Institute President and CEO Julie Anna Potts. “We are a highly-efficient and unified economy in this country and so that’s just not right. If this unconstitutional law is allowed to stand, California will dictate farming practices across the nation. California’s overreach creates an unworkable patchwork of differing state regulations that will make it impossible for the supply chain, from small farmers to your local grocer, to function.”
The lawsuit , filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, asks the court to halt implementation of the law (grant a preliminary injunction) because Prop 12 violates the commerce clause and the federal structure of the United States Constitution. The Constitution prohibits states from discriminating against interstate and foreign commerce, regulating commerce outside of their borders or imposing undue burdens on interstate and foreign commerce. Prop 12 violates each of these limitations.
Enacted in November 2018, Prop 12 imposes space requirements regarding breeding pigs and veal calves within California. Prop 12 creates a barrier to trade by imposing obligations on out-of-state competitors in an effort to assist local producers of pork and veal. Prop 12 reaches beyond the state’s borders by prohibiting the sale in California of uncooked pork or veal from animals housed in ways that do not meet California’s requirements. As a result, Prop 12 sets confinement standards for how pigs and veal calves are raised anywhere in the United States or in any foreign country.
Lastly, Prop 12 imposes substantial burdens on the interstate markets for pork and veal that are not justified by legitimate local interests. For example, not only does Prop 12 prohibit the sale of uncooked cuts of pork from the breeding pigs, it prohibits the sale of meat from the offspring of those breeding pigs, even though the offspring are not subject to Prop 12’s space requirements. This sales ban means Prop 12 effectively regulates how sows and veal calves are housed everywhere in the United States if the meat from those animals or their offspring could be sold in California.
Prop 12 exposes companies to potential criminal penalties and the threat of civil lawsuits filed by competitors and others. Given these legal threats and the unacceptable burden on interstate commerce Prop 12 imposes by dictating to livestock producers throughout the country how to raise their livestock, the Meat Institute’s lawsuit asks the court to enjoin the law’s enforcement.
According to the State of California’s own economic analysis , consumer prices are likely to increase because producers will have to spend to expand or construct new animal housing which may cost more to operate in the long term. The state acknowledges it may take several years for farmers to comply resulting in a shortfall of products and increased prices for consumers.
In June, the Meat Institute submitted public comments regarding California’s Proposition 12 calling for postponement of the law’s implementation so multiple problems affecting consumers and producers may be addressed.
The North American Meat Institute is the leading voice for the meat and poultry industry. The Meat Institute’s members process the vast majority of U.S. beef, pork, lamb, and poultry, as well as manufacture the equipment and ingredients needed to produce the safest and highest quality meat and poultry products.
The American Veal Association remains committed to changing the way milk-fed veal is raised today. That commitment has been demonstrated by the farmers and businesses who have made significant changes in facilities and animal husbandry practices over the past several years to deliver a higher standard of animal care. A video released by an activist organization depicts conditions and practices reminds us why changes have been made and why more change is needed. The video represents the “old way” of doing things.
We invite you to read this statement from Midwest Veal LLC for further information and learn why this barn sits empty as it waits for its scheduled renovations.
By Dale Bakke
AVA President
Starting as a young boy and through college, I had the opportunity to work on a dairy farm in Wisconsin. I watched and observed the dedication my neighbor invested into his farm and caring for the cows we milked and the calves we raised. I had my share of questions and suggestions for how we did things back then. Often, the neighbor’s wisdom and experience outweighed some of my ideas. Other times, my neighbor and mentor appreciated the new insight.
Continuous improvement is core to those who farm and raise livestock. It is something I have always valued and I see in our association members today. Member companies and farms who raise veal reached a milestone as 2018 began when they achieved the transition to group-housing for veal calves over ten weeks of age. Today, there are a variety of different facilities to house veal calves in groups ranging from two up to groups of ten or more. These facilities allow for the Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare, which is the international standard for assessing expression of normal behavior in animals.
“The health and well-being of the calves has been and will continue to be a priority,” said calf veterinarian, Dr. Marissa Hake. “Newborn calves need special attention to grow and thrive. It was important that the desire to move calves to group pens did not sacrifice the need for individual care and attention. We found calves individually penned for the first 8-10 weeks is still optimal for calf health, just as is standard in heifer and beef raising.”
Continuous improvement and innovation to do what’s right and best for the calves entrusted to our care is at the heart of the veal farmers and industry leaders I know. That’s why I was personally disheartened to learn about the video released by an animal rights activist organization this week – for two reasons: First -- Animal abuse is never acceptable. Second – AVA-member company, Midwest Veal LLC is depicted in the video with one of their remaining outdated nursery facilities for newborn calves. Unfortunately, how veal calves are raised today is not accurately reflected in the video. Additionally, it does not represent the values and dedication I know to be true of Midwest Veal. They are a family company who has a history of dedication and continuous improvement for the veal calves they raise.
I encourage you to read Midwest Veal’s full statement here.
I invite you to continue to visit our website. Watch our video Meet America's Veal Farmers. Ask questions. We are open for dialog. And like my experience with my neighbor, be open minded and respectful of the wisdom and knowledge in the explanations for how and why we do what we do to raise healthy veal calves. That has and will continue to be our top priority.
This incident is also a very unfortunate reminder to our veal farmers to be very cautious towards those who want to work on our farms. In rural America it is our nature to trust people, and while we will continue to believe the best in people, thorough training and supervision must continue to ensure the same values we have for our animals are practiced in the actions of those who work on our farms. For additional information on the Veal Quality Assurance program visit the Veal Farm website.
Click image to watch video.
Veterinarian Marissa Hake was a guest on a Facebook Live event that shared an inside look at veal farming. The event was hosted on TDF Honest Farming, a page by Tillamook Dairy Farmer Derrick Josi that provides an authentic portrayal of modern farming practices.
Dr. Hake provides care to about 30,000 veal calves in Ohio, Indiana and Michigan. The first video was at a starter veal barn that housed young calves.
In the next video, she visited a farm that was home to older calves who would be going to market in a few weeks. The tour included an explanation of the group pens, the barn flooring, ventilation and feed.
The videos generated numerous comments. Many people were surprised by what they saw and pleased to learn about veal farming.
Click image to watch video.
“This was very interesting to me. I cannot believe how clean the calves are and look very happy.”
“Have to say I still thought veal calves were raised in tlghtless barns chained in tight narrow stalls. I am so glad to see the practice has changed to a much more humane style.”
Dr. Hake created a follow-up video to answer a question several people had asked about why veal calves are kept inside.
Another video presented facts about veal.
Occasionally we hear from farmers asking how to get started in this great industry. Raising veal can be rewarding, and it is a wonderful way to engage family in caring for the animals you raise.
First, we encourage all farmers who raise veal to be VQA certified. You can find more information about the Veal Quality Assurance program through this link. The program includes best management practices for raising veal. We recommend you work closely with a veterinarian to develop a comprehensive herd health plan and to become VQA certified.
Next, identify a place to process your veal. Most milk-fed veal is raised and processed in Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania and New York. Please contact any of these AVA-member companies listed here for more information.
If you would like to market your product directly to consumers, many state departments of agriculture have programs to help with direct marketing. There are a number of farmers who have experienced success in raising and marketing their product direct to consumers, and veal is no exception.
We also invite you to become a member of the American Veal Association, where you can connect with other industry leaders and be informed on the latest developments in the industry.
Thank you for your interest and best wishes on your future efforts.
Veal meat has been the center of the plate for European cuisines for centuries. While our European ancestors brought their family recipes with them to America, the practice of raising veal in the United States didn’t fully develop until the 1900s.
A lot has changed since then, and today, people are rediscovering veal as a sustainable and humanely-raised meat choice. You might say people are rekindling an old love.
Can you imagine recreating a 200-year old family cookbook? That’s exactly what one Brooklyn, New York, woman is doing with her mother. She contacted the AVA through our website to say her family had lifted a self-imposed 20-year ban on veal consumption after learning of the industry’s move to group housing, which she considers a more humane way to raise veal calves. (We do too!)
The woman said the 200-year old family cookbook features several veal dishes. She wrote to express her appreciation for the changes that had occurred in how veal is raised today. She also wanted to know where to purchase veal. We had a few suggestions:
1.) Contact your local retailer and order veal through the meat department. Be sure to request American veal.
2.) If your local retailer is unable to help, contact one of our AVA-member companies such as Catelli Brothers and Marcho Farms to order direct.
3.) Of course, you can enjoy veal at a restaurant, but then you miss the joy of cooking it yourself!
Not everyone has a 200-year old family cookbook to reference for veal recipes, so follow this link to discover new recipes for enjoying veal. To learn more about how veal is raised today, visit a few farms by watching this video.
With passage of Proposition 12, there is great uncertainty if and who will be able to supply California with veal and at what price. California businesses should contact their current suppliers for more information to assess availability and cost according to the American Veal Association (AVA).
Under the new mandate, any veal intended for sale in California beginning January 1, 2020 will need to come from barns that provide 43 square feet per calf, regardless of the age and size of the calf. Essentially U.S. farmers will need to raise about one-third the quantity of calves (about 66) in a barn that was designed, built and financed to hold 200 calves.
AVA-member companies and farmers are dedicated to providing consumers with nutritious meat that comes from animals humanely raised. This commitment was the foundation for the substantial changes that have occurred in the milk-fed veal industry over the past 10 years. Veal calves today are raised in group pens with no tethers and plenty of space to move around and socialize with other calves.
“Proposition 12 by California voters will impose unnecessary regulations based on misleading and out-of-date information,” states AVA president, Dale Bakke. “The space requirement is excessive and will not improve animal welfare. At the current time, no milk-fed veal raised anywhere in the world meets California’s floor space requirements.”
Over the past 10 years, AVA-member companies and veal farmers invested more than $150 million in new buildings and renovations to meet the association's goal of group-housing and no tethers. These new facilities enable the Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare, the international standard for assessing expression of normal behavior in animals, to be practiced.
The EU had the most generous space requirements in the world for veal calves prior to this law. Their guidelines are scientific and based on the size(weight) of the calf.
Veal Calves over 485 lbs. must have a minimum of 1.8 sq. meters (19.4 sq. ft.)
Calves from 330 - 485 lbs. must have a minimum of 1.7 sq. meters (18.3 sq. ft.)
Calves less than 330 lbs. must have a minimum of 1.5 sq. meters (16.1 sq. ft.)
No calf over 8 weeks of age is allowed in an individual pen.
According to Bakke, AVA members are very consistent with these EU guidelines providing 16-20 square feet per calf depending on the size of calf. Tethering is not allowed on AVA-member farms.
Popular at fine-dining restaurants and other retailers, California is a significant consumer market for milk-fed veal. Veal is raised by farm families primarily in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and Wisconsin. AVA represents approximately 80 percent of all veal meat produced in the US.
Download the entire statement here.
The American Veal Association has changed the way milk-fed veal is raised today.
Come visit our farms and meet AVA members through this new video -- American Veal Today
How are veal calves raised today? Where are they raised? What do veal calves eat? Are veal calves anemic, tethered and raised in crates? The American Veal Association’s new video answers these questions and many more about milk-fed veal. The video features AVA members and farmers including veterinarian, Dr. Marissa Hake, and nutritionist, Dr. Sonia Arnold, who provide specific details about the health and nutrition of raising milk-fed veal today.
The video provides a look inside modern veal barns where calves are raised in group pens, not crates and never tethered. Calves can stand, stretch, lie down, turn around, groom naturally and have contact with others calves in comfortable, clean environments. These new facilities enable the Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare, which are the international standard for assessing expression of normal behavior in animals, to be practiced.
AVA President, Dale Bakke, talks about sustainability in the video and the interrelationship veal has with both the dairy and beef industries. Milk-fed veal is raised in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and Wisconsin.
The AVA invites you to learn more about raising milk-fed veal through this new video, American Veal Today