DutchNews, February 13,
2017
Tens of thousands of calves which
are taken away from their mothers in the days after they are born die in the
first year of life and the death rate is getting worse, the Volkskrant said on
Monday.
In 2015, 13.3% of registered calves died within 12 months of being
removed from their mothers – a total of 350,000 animals, the paper said.
In
2009, the death rate was 9%, a figure described at the time by animal health experts
as too high. Most calves are taken from their mothers within three days of
birth and the males are almost always sold on to beef and veal farmers.
Animal
rights organisation Dier & Recht said the care of newborn calves may have
been affected by the increasing size of dairy farms in the Netherlands.
‘As
farms get bigger, there is little attention for individual calves,’ said vet
and Dier & Recht spokesman Frederieke Schouten.
The lobby group wants dairy
cooperative Friesland Campina to put pressure on its farmers to try to stop so
many calves dying.
No comments:
Post a Comment