Veal production has improved dramatically in the UK with the shift to rose veal. Understanding the welfare differences between systems helps consumers make better choices.
UK rose veal welfare represents one of the genuine improvements in farm animal standards over recent decades. The ban on white veal production eliminated one of the most welfare-compromised systems in European farming. Rose veal calves live in social groups, can move freely, and are fed diets that allow normal development. The alternative - killing male dairy calves at birth - while quick, represents waste of lives that rose veal production avoids. Consumers who eat dairy products are directly connected to the veal question and rose veal is the welfare-positive response.