Documentation of calf transports – suffering after short journeys

For the second time in just four weeks, our team has documented calf transports at a collection point in Germany, near the Dutch border. Every week, two to three livestock trucks depart from there, loaded with up to 700 unweaned calves. Most of the animals are taken to fattening farms in the Netherlands.

Some of the transports continue on to Belgium, and we followed them. In the past, we were able to prove that these calves were first taken to a Belgian collection point and then, after a short time in the stable, transported on to Spain. They had to endure days of travelling, heat, cramped conditions and, finally, fattening in Spain under poor conditions.

However, following our revelations and several complaints, the situation now seems to have changed. Our undercover investigation shows that the calves are now unloaded at the collection point of a large Belgian veal producer after a journey of around two hours. This spares them further transport to Spain. 

The fact that the animals no longer have to endure the long travel to Spain is positive. However, we are not rejoicing: in industrial veal farming, as here in Belgium, the animals are fattened on a strict diet in order to produce the light-coloured meat that the market demands. In most cases, there is no bedding in the fattening farms and the animals cannot fulfil their natural needs. The calves lead a life without exercise, without contact with their mothers and without the opportunity to behave in a manner appropriate to their species – until they are slaughtered after a few months.

More information on the transport of unweaned calves can be found here.