More animal welfare for calves in Germany

Milk producers who currently want to invest in calf rearing are faced with a number of unanswered questions. The minimum transport age is to be increased to 28 days (Germany) or 35 days (EU). The simplest solution seems to be more igloos, in which calves can be kept until they are eight weeks old. Because the EU-wide citizens' initiative "End the Cage Age" wants to ban "caging" for farm animals by 2027. This also applies to the individual housing of calves. The EU Commission wants to revise the regulations. One solution could be to house calves in pairs from the first days of life (see report, page R 26). Jannifer Van Os from the University of Madison (Wisconsin, USA) is researching this topic: “The calves benefit from better social behavior and less stress when weaned. Studies also show that calves eat more before and during weaning. They gain weight better and are fitter.” And keeping them in pairs ensures a high level of public acceptance, reports Van Os. However, there are ...