Netherlands: Calf sector imports fewer animals and shortens transport distance

The Dutch veal calf sector imported almost 10,000 fewer calves in the first 17 weeks (four months) of this year than in the same period of 2023. Compared to the year 2022, this is almost 25,000 fewer. The number of countries from which calves have been imported has also fallen sharply, according to figures from RVO. Decline 8.5% in two years Up to and including week 17 of this year, more than 269,000 calves were imported into the Netherlands for veal calf farming. In the same period of 2023, the number of imported calves was approximately 278,500 heads, in 2022 this was approximately 293,500 heads in the first four months. This represents a decline of approximately 8.5 percent in two years. More calves from Germany With a share of approximately two-thirds of imports, Germany was again the most important country of origin. Compared to 2023, the number of German calves increased by almost 20,000, but no German calves crossed the border in the first two weeks of the year due to the ...