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 Ethical Commitments further demonstrate the association’s commitment to food safety, animal welfare, environmental stewardship, and labor and human rights and include the addition of indicators and targets.
“Our organization is very excited to launch these commitments and share our devotion toward the animals, people and natural resources entrusted to our care,” said AVA President Sonia Arnold, Ph.D. “These Ethical Commitments outline our dedication to producing veal in the most sustainable and ethical manner possible today and in the future.”
The AVA has outlined commitments for our veal farm partners and employees within each core principle and set target dates and stages to meet those goals.
“Verification of our progress will be achieved through various means such as audits, validation from licensed veterinarians and reports to the North American Meat Institute’s Protein Pact,” Arnold said. “We are also pleased to announce the first-ever Life Cycle Assessment study of U.S. milk-fed veal will be compiled to quantify the environmental impacts of U.S. veal farm production.”
“Resourcefulness and sustainability are core to the heritage of the veal industry,” Arnold concluded. “Milk-fed veal utilizes Holstein bull calves from dairy farms and excess whey and skim milk powder from cheese and butter manufacturers to produce a high-quality protein. This process reduces food waste, enriches communities in rural America, and provides an excellent source of nutrition for consumers.”
The newly adopted Ethical Commitments include five principle areas:
1) Animal Welfare – Quality Care for Our Animals at Every Stage of Life
AVA members are committed to the wellbeing of the animals we raise. The Veal Quality Assurance (VQA) program, which is updated at least every five years and validated on farms by accredited veterinarians, is at the core of the Animal Welfare principle. The VQA program funded by the National Beef Checkoff is embraced by our membership to apply best management practices to achieve or exceed animal welfare outcomes in all stages of veal production.
2) Environment – Conservation of our Precious Natural Resources
AVA members are committed to continuous improvement of management practices including management of manure, water and food processing residuals.
One of the indicators and targets within the Environment section is to initiate a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) to quantify the environmental impacts of U.S. veal farm production and identify ways to mitigate and reduce environmental impacts.
The AVA has selected Sustainable Environmental Consultants (SEC) to complete the LCA, using a cradle-to-farm gate approach, to capture the true greenhouse gas impact of farms raising milk-fed veal. SEC delivers field-level quantification and practice verification services for a complete spectrum of environmental impacts. The veal LCA assessment of greenhouse gas emissions is estimated to be completed in 2024.
3) Food Safety – Safe, Quality Food as Our First Responsibility
AVA membership is committed to ensuring that we provide quality food people can have confidence in. We excel in food safety using proven technologies, biosecurity practices, third-party audits and employee training. We also have a commitment to continuous improvement and adopting practices that protect food safety. Traceability of U.S.-raised veal from veal farm to product package by 2024 is one of our targets.
4) Health & Wellness – Veal’s Role in a Healthy Diet
AVA membership is committed to providing accurate, science-based information on the nutritional value of veal and its role in a healthy diet. Additionally, AVA membership is committed to serving under-nourished people through food donations in local communities and across the U.S.
5) Labor & Human Rights – Enhancing the Quality of Life for People and Our Communities
Family-owned businesses make up the veal industry and these businesses and individuals work to meet or exceed all regulations that apply to each step of the process of producing veal from farm to market. The AVA is dedicated to promoting a safe and healthy work environment, strengthening our communities through an engaged workforce and local volunteerism while supporting workforce diversity and providing training and professional growth for our workforce and veal farmers.
To review the Ethical Commitments online visit http://www.americanveal.com/ethical-commitments
The American Veal Association represents the vast majority of milk-fed veal raised in the U.S. Members include businesses and individuals, from veal farmers to feed companies and veal processors.
Milk-fed veal is a USDA classification that describes dairy bull calves that are fed a special milk formula rich in nutrients, raised to about 6 months of age and a market weight of 500 pounds or more.