Recent media attention about the fate of bobby calves during the production of dairy has shocked many Australians. Ethical Living contributor Vicki Millyard discovers what really lies at the heart of the issue.

In a time when consumers are becoming increasingly interested in the origins of the products they use and the foods they eat, many industries are coming under increased public scrutiny.

The latest livestock group to come under the microscope is the dairy industry. In recent months, animal activist group Animals Australia has run a public awareness campaign to highlight the fate of bobby calves during dairy production.

While most farmers will rear the majority of their heifer (female) calves as herd replacements, the remaining heifers and most of the bull calves are sold as bobby calves – calves less than about two weeks old which are destined for sale or slaughter. While some of these might be bought to be reared as veal or beef animals, most are killed at around a week old. Currently, around 700 000 bobby calves are killed in Australia each year.

“It’s an unpleasant part of the business,” said Victorian dairy farmer Robert Johnston. “The only alternative is to grow them out for veal but then, they’re only going to be killed anyway.”

Bobby calves are either taken to a saleyard to be sold for rearing or slaughter, or picked up on farm or at a central collection point and taken directly to an abattoir.

In Victoria, bobby calves must be at least four days old (in their fifth day of life), over 23 kilograms in weight, have a dry withered navel cord, and be strong enough to be transported. They are also required to have been fed four litres of milk or colostrum daily (two litres night and morning) and fed within 6 hours of delivery to the point of sale or collection. They must also be tagged with a National Livestock Identification Scheme tag to enable them to be traced back to their place of origin.

[pullquote]“It’s an unpleasant part of the business,” said Victorian dairy farmer Robert Johnston. “The only alternative is to grow them out for veal but then, they’re only going to be killed anyway.”[/pullquote]

Trucks transporting bobby calves must be enclosed at the front to provide protection for the calves, and must have non-slip floors and provide enough space for the calves to be able to lie down.

Much of the current attention surrounding bobby calves is the result of a review being undertaken of the Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines for Land Transport. Currently there is no upper limit set in the guidelines for how long bobby calves can be left without liquid feed following their last feed on the farm.

Industry group, Dairy Australia has put forward a submission that the maximum limit for time off feed should be 30 hours, which many feel is too long for a young animal to be without feed.

“Of course this is a maximum standard that people can’t go over,” Dairy Australia manager animal welfare Bridget Peachey said. “Just because there is a standard in place does not mean everyone will suddenly stop feeding calves earlier or hold off slaughtering them for longer. Industry will continue to support that processors slaughter calves as soon as possible, which is usually a lot less than 30 hours for most calves.”

In Australia, animal production and welfare arrangements are governed by state and territory governments. A statement from the Victorian Department of Primary Industries supports Dairy Australia’s claim.

“Most calf sales are conducted in the mornings which means that many calves arrive at abattoirs and are slaughtered the same day,” the statement says. “DPI staff have witnessed many incidents of responsible management by transporters and abattoirs staff where calves that were unable to be slaughtered at one abattoir due to industrial action, power outages or road blockages have been either unloaded and fed or taken to another location so that they could be slaughtered within the required time frames.”

Although there is currently a voluntary code of practice that says that bobby calves should be fed every 10 hours, it was agreed by the groups working on the redevelopment of the standards and guidelines that the review would be science based. Peer reviewed science from Australia and New Zealand has indicated that “30 hours, with good practice in other aspects of calf management and transport, was suitable as the maximum time off feed limit for bobby calves”.

“The 30 hours time off feed standard also reflects common industry practice of once daily feeding of calves,” Ms Peachey said

One group that feels that a 30-hour maximum is too long is the RSPCA.

“The RSPCA position is that bobby calves should be fed more frequently,” said Melina Tensen, Scientific Officer (Farm Animals) for the RSPCA. “In our submission to the bobby calf standard we have said that we’d like to see an 18 hour limit but we’d be reasonably comfortable with a compromise position of 24 hours.”

The RSPCA also believes that bobby calves should be older than five days.

“We’re of the opinion that five days old is really just too young to be transporting calves,” Ms Tensen said. “They have no following behaviour so people handling bobby calves understandably become quite impatient, which is why you get bad handling practices around bobby calves. The RSPCA position is that bobby calves should be at least 10 days before they’re transported.

“When it comes to bobby calves that are destined for slaughter, it may actually be better to kill them on farm at birth. That would save the four or five days that they spend on farm, the transport, the handling, and the eventual slaughter process as well, but we understand, too, that farmers are reluctant to kill bobby calves. And there is a market out there for them.”

Meat from bobby calves is used as veal for human consumption and hides are used to produce leather. Byproducts also have a range of uses.

While the slaughter of young calves is not a pleasant concept, while there is a consumer demand for dairy products, this will continue to be the fate of around three quarters of a million calves in Australia each year. One possible solution would be to grow calves not required for dairying out as beef animals. However, this is unlikely to be a popular solution with the beef industry, which has its own breeds bred specifically for meat production.

Short of eliminating all dairy products from our diets, the reality remains that the slaughter of bobby calves will continue to exist. However, consumers have the power to voice their concerns, and insist that all animals are treated humanely by all parties involved.  To ensure that this happens, state and territory government departments conduct checks at saleyards and abattoirs.

“DPI staff regularly monitor tagging compliance and animal welfare at all saleyards and abattoirs across the state. Audits at saleyards are carried out, on average, 1-2 times a month and in some large saleyards on a weekly basis,” the Victorian DPI said in a statement.

[stextbox id="custom" caption="The reality of dairy production" image="null"]

Like all mammals, cows must give birth in order to produce milk. Dairy cows usually have a calf once a year, their gestation period being about nine months. On some farms, calving occurs over a period of a couple of months once or twice a year, usually in spring and/or autumn. On other farms, calving occurs all year round.

After a cow calves, the cow and calf are separated. It’s recommended that this occurs within 12 hours of birth. This is both to reduce the spread of disease, and to reduce stress on both animals. Studies conducted in Canada in 2000 and 2001 showed that the sooner the cow and calf are separated after birth, the less stress is caused to both animals.

“It also means that we can make sure that the calf gets enough colostrum,” said dairy farmer Robert Johnston, from Victoria’s Gippsland region. “Young heifers, in particular, might only give a litre or two for the first day or so and it would be really hard for a newborn calf to be able to get enough from suckling.”

The cow then enters the milking herd. Cows are milked twice daily by having cups put on each teat. These gently squeeze the teats and collect the milk. When the cow has finished milking, the cups are removed and the teats sprayed, usually with an iodine solution. This helps to prevent mastitis – an infection of the udder – by forming droplets over the ends of the teats until the opening closes over, making it more difficult for bacteria to enter the udder.

About two to three months after calving, cows are joined (mated) again. A cow’s oestrus cycle is three weeks long and they can come in season soon after calving.

“A fit, healthy cow can come in season again about ten days after she calves,” Mr Johnston said. “In an ideal world, they would go through three or four cycles before we join them again but, if they calve late in the season, they may only get one or two.”

Around two months before a cow is due to calve again, she is dried off and given a break from milking for the last part of her pregnancy.

This cycle of calving, coming into season, remating, and calving again the following year is similar to what would happen if the cow were a wild animal.

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About the author

Vicki Millyard
Vicki was born and raised in Melbourne but, even from a young age, preferred country life, an interest fuelled by regular visits with family friends on their dairy farm in northern Victoria. After completing secondary school, she attended Longerenong Agricultural College, graduating with a Diploma of Applied Science (Agriculture) in 1980. For the next decade, she worked in the dairy industry. She has also worked in forestry and horticulture, administration, and as a swimming instructor. Today, Vicki resides in the Gippsland region of Victoria, once again working with the dairy cattle she loves, as well as working part-time as a freelance writer and editor. Her interests include soap and soy wax candle making, mosaics and genealogy.

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