Victory! American Veal Association Pledges to End Cruel Confinement of Calves!

The American Veal Association (AVA) has announced a unanimous decision to phase out the practice of chaining calves by their necks inside solitary crates by 2017. The practice is used to immobilize calves so that their flesh stays tender and has been criticized by animal protection advocates for decades.

This historic change is the latest in a series of victories for the animal protection movement in its long struggle to eliminate the solitary, intensive confinement of farmed animals. Within the last year, Smithfield Foods, Maple Leaf Foods, and Cargill Meat Solutions have all pledged to phase out their use of gestation crates—individual metal crates used to confine pregnant pigs and prevent them from moving or engaging in any natural behaviors—or greatly reduce the number used in their factory farms.

Fast-food restaurants have also stepped up to the plate with regard to animal welfare. This year, following nearly six years of negotiations with PETA, Burger King pledged to purchase 20 percent of its pig meat from suppliers that don't use gestation crates and 5 percent of its eggs from suppliers that don't keep hens in battery cages—wire cages about the size of a file drawer that are used to confine five to seven hens for up to two years. Soon after Burger King made its announcement—and following PETA protests—Wendy's made a similar pledge to purchase 20 percent crate-free pork by the end of 2008 and increase that percentage over time.

The Veal Industry
Veal is a direct byproduct of the dairy industry. Male calves are considered useless on dairy farms because they don't produce milk. Each year, 1 million calves are taken away from their mothers when they are less than 1 day old and sent to veal farms, where they are confined to dark, tiny crates.

The calves are then fed a liquid diet that is low in iron and has little nutritional value in order to make their flesh white. This heinous treatment makes the calves ill, and they frequently suffer from anemia, diarrhea, and pneumonia. Frightened, sick, and alone, they are killed after only a few months of life.

The veal industry would not exist without the dairy industry's need to dispose of unwanted calves—by consuming dairy products, you're supporting veal factory farms.

Help Factory-Farmed Animals!
The American Veal Association has pledged to make historic improvements with regard to animal welfare. Unfortunately, many other animal-flesh suppliers have not yet made the same commitment. For more than four years, PETA's Kentucky Fried Cruelty campaign has urged KFC to adopt standards to eliminate the worst abuses of the more than 850 million chickens killed for its buckets each year. Dozens of celebrities, scholars, and other notables—including Pamela Anderson, Sir Paul McCartney, Pink, The Rev. Al Sharpton, and Fall Out Boy—have spoken out against KFC's cruelty. You can join them by visiting KentuckyFriedCruelty.com to sign the petition.