Veal production has evolved significantly from the controversial white veal raised in individual stalls, with rose veal and group-housed systems offering substantially improved welfare over traditional practices.
Veal production welfare has transformed substantially since the high-profile campaigns against white veal in the 1980s and 1990s. Traditional white veal production — individual stalls, iron-restricted diet, minimal movement — imposed severe welfare harm for weeks on each calf. The EU ban on individual calf stalls after 8 weeks drove transition to group housing. Rose veal systems that allow group socialization, appropriate diet, and outdoor access achieve dramatically better welfare while providing a commercial use for male dairy calves who would otherwise be slaughtered at birth or shortly after. The welfare trajectory is positive.