Veal farmers move calves to group pens ahead of schedule
Five-years after the Board of Directors of the American Veal Association (AVA) voted unanimously to adopt a resolution calling for all U.S. veal farms to transition to group pens, a recent survey reveals that 70 percent of veal calves raised by AVA members will be housed in group pens by the end of 2012. The resolution, adopted by the AVA on May 9, 2007, took a leadership position on farm animal housing by calling for the veal community to transition all veal farms to group housing by December 31, 2017.
“As farmers, we have an obligation to provide for the well-being of the animals in our care,” said Jurian Bartelse, a New York veal farmer and president of the AVA. “In 2005 we built state-of-the-art group houses at our farm and have been pleased with our ability to continue to provide excellent care and produce the high-quality veal our customers expect.”