Rearing Of Calves In Veal Crates

EDM number 310 in 1995-96, proposed by Elliot Morley on 18/01/1996.

That this House notes that in its recent report the EU's Scientific Veterinary Committee condemns the rearing of calves in narrow veal crates, stressing that the welfare of calves confined in such crates is very poor; further notes the Sci entific Veterinary Committee's conclusion that the common practice in the veal crate system of feeding calves on a diet deficient in roughage and iron can lead to serious health problems and serious abnormalities of behaviour; notes the conclusion of Dr Toby Knowles of the University of Bristol that the scientific evidence suggests that young calves are not well adapted to cope with transport and marketing, often suffering relatively high rates of morbidity and mortality both during, and in the few weeks immediately following transport ; is alarmed that in 1995 around 500,000 calves were exported from the United Kingdom to veal crates in France and the Netherlands; and calls on Her Majesty's Government to prohibit the export of calves to veal crates and to urge the United Kingdom's EU partners to ban the veal crate throughout the EU as a matter of great urgency.

This motion has been signed by a total of 128 MPs.