Australian Dairy farmers left with limited options when dealing with "Bobby calves" as Voiceless continues their anti-milk campaign - Cowsmo

Australian Dairy farmers left with limited options when dealing with “Bobby calves” as Voiceless continues their anti-milk campaign

Animal welfare group Voiceless says consumers should stay away from milk because increasing numbers of dairy cows are suffering.

One of the group’s key concerns is the widespread slaughter of “bobby calves”.

These are male calves that can’t be raised to produce milk.

Cows must give birth often to ensure a consistent milk supply.

If they give birth to a male it is likely to be sent to slaughter after a few days of life, or put down on the farm.

In response dairy farmers say that with the high cost of raising a bull, and very little Australian demand for the veal that comes from bobby calves, their options are very limited.

Robyn Lucas is a dairy farmer in Tilba on New South Wales’ south coast.

The calves from her farm are sent away to slaughter at five-days-old.

She said the bobby calf issue is a sensitive one, for the right reasons, and that unfortunately she doesn’t see any other options for her calves.

There’s no facility for processing veal in the area.

“I do the very best that I can for my calves that are sent to slaughter, and I can only hope that all other farmers are doing the same,” she said.

Bobbie calves can be used for pharmaceutical products, leather and pet food, when not grown for veal.

Ms Lucas says that other farmers have been encouraged to euthanise calves on their farms, but she believes this is a worse option than sending them to slaughter.

“If we euthanize those calves on farm, they would be a waste product of the dairy industry and that would be a terrible tragedy,” she said.

“Those calves are looked after until they go to slaughter, and then they are used for other products.”

NSW Farmers Cattle Committee Chair Rob McIntosh, who has a dairy farm at Berry, says that education programs developed for this state’s farmers include advice on how to best process bobby calves, with efficiency and avoiding emotional distress for the farmers.

He explained that exploring options to deal with the calves is especially important in NSW because of its year-round calving programs.

Whether calves can grow up on dairy farm, be transferred to a different farm, or processed at a facility or abattoir depends on various factors including the size of the property.

He said that a stronger demand for veal would lead to specialised abattoirs for small animals, however this is unlikely in Australia at this time.

“To be honest it’s not something that people really want,” he said.

“It’s an ongoing process of indicating to people that there are choices, and trying to develop markets, and also abattoirs and things that can actually handle the small-bodied animals.”

Mr McIntosh said the majority of farmers are interested in complying with guidelines, and that NSW Farmers runs educational programs to assist them with this.

National guidelines, developed by industry bodies, exist around the treatment of bobby calves.

President of Australian Dairy Farmers Noel Campbell said that it can be difficult to achieve consistency when farms across the nation are located in very different areas and circumstances.

“It’s just the tyranny of distance, really,” he said.

“Bobby calves are not worth a great value, dollar-wise, therefore it becomes uneconomic if they have to travel vast distances, and in an animal health and welfare sense they can’t be on the road for too long, either.

“So there’s a number of issues surrounding that.

“It’s an understanding that some people’s animals are more suited to on-rearing than others.

“A larger Holstein Friesian type calf might be suitable for on-rearing for later veal production, while a jersey or a cross breed calf is not really suitable for that.

“So therefore we haven’t got a market for them.”

Mr Campbell said he hopes the Voiceless report won’t change the way that Australians consume dairy, and questions the 800, 000 figure estimated by Voiceless as the number of bobby calves slaughtered every year.

Voiceless cite a 2011 report from the Primary Industries Ministerial Council that estimates the annual number of non-replacement calves (bobby calves as well as heifer calves not required for herd replacement) at 770, 000.

Mr Campbell believes the figure to be closer to 400, 000.

Consumption of dairy products in Australia has increased dramatically in recent decades and will only be going up in response to strong demand from overseas.

Robyn Lucas said she welcomes the report from Voiceless and she enjoys having visitors on her farm.

“I have nothing to hide as a dairy farmer,” she said.

“It’s all about educating the public on what is a wonderful industry.”

 

Source: Rural

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