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Published (Version of record)CC BY-ND V4.0, Open Access
Published (Version of record)CC BY-ND V4.0, Open
Journal article
Welfare of calves
EFSA journal, Vol.21(3), pp.1-197
03/2023
PMCID: PMC10050971
PMID: 37009444
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Source: InCites
Abstract
This Scientific Opinion addresses a European Commission request on the welfare of calves as part of the Farm to Fork strategy. EFSA was asked to provide a description of common husbandry systems and related welfare consequences, as well as measures to prevent or mitigate the hazards leading to them. In addition, recommendations on three specific issues were requested: welfare of calves reared for white veal (space, group housing, requirements of iron and fibre); risk of limited cow–calf contact; and animal‐based measures (ABMs) to monitor on‐farm welfare in slaughterhouses. The methodology developed by EFSA to address similar requests was followed. Fifteen highly relevant welfare consequences were identified, with respiratory disorders, inability to perform exploratory or foraging behaviour, gastroenteric disorders and group stress being the most frequent across husbandry systems. Recommendations to improve the welfare of calves include increasing space allowance, keeping calves in stable groups from an early age, ensuring good colostrum management and increasing the amounts of milk fed to dairy calves. In addition, calves should be provided with deformable lying surfaces, water via an open surface and long‐cut roughage in racks. Regarding specific recommendations for veal systems, calves should be kept in small groups (2–7 animals) within the first week of life, provided with ~ 20 m2/calf and fed on average 1 kg neutral detergent fibre (NDF) per day, preferably using long‐cut hay. Recommendations on cow–calf contact include keeping the calf with the dam for a minimum of 1 day post‐partum. Longer contact should progressively be implemented, but research is needed to guide this implementation in practice. The ABMs body condition, carcass condemnations, abomasal lesions, lung lesions, carcass colour and bursa swelling may be collected in slaughterhouses to monitor on‐farm welfare but should be complemented with behavioural ABMs collected on farm.
Details
- Title
- Welfare of calves
- Creators
- Søren Saxmose NielsenJulio AlvarezDominique Joseph BicoutPaolo CalistriElisabetta CanaliJulian Ashley DreweBruno Garin-BastujiJose Luis Gonzales RojasChristian Gortazar SchmidtMette HerskinVirginie MichelMiguel Angel Miranda ChuecaBarbara PadalinoPaolo PasqualiHelen Clare RobertsHans SpoolderKarl StahlAntonio VelardeArvo ViltropMargit Bak JensenSusanne WaiblingerDenise CandianiEliana LimaOlaf Mosbach-SchulzYves Van der StedeMarika VitaliChristoph WincklerEFSA Panel on Animal Health and Animal Welfare (AHAW)
- Publication Details
- EFSA journal, Vol.21(3), pp.1-197
- Publisher
- John Wiley & Sons, Inc
- Identifiers
- 991013293350502368
- Copyright
- © 2023 European Food Safety Authority. EFSA Journal published by Wiley-VCH GmbH on behalf of European Food Safety Authority. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and no modifications or adaptations are made.
- Academic Unit
- Faculty of Science and Engineering; Veterinary Science
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article