The Remit & Goals of The Forum
In June 2006 CIWF and the RSPCA convened the Beyond Calf Exports Stakeholders forum with leading stakeholders to find realistic and economically viable solutions that would result in a greater number of male dairy calves being reared in the UK to meet the demand for beef on domestic and international markets.
Beyond Calf Exports Stakeholders Forum
Who is in the Forum?
The forum comprises UK beef and dairy industry bodies and organisations, retailers, Defra, leading academics and animal welfarists. It has now agreed potentially far-reaching proposals that it hopes will bring about a sea-change in attitudes towards male dairy calves. The guiding principle of the forum has been that the alternatives developed need to benefit the UK beef and dairy industry as well as boosting calf welfare.
Why there is an issue?
Approximately 570,000 male black and white dairy calves are born in the UK per annum. Their beef producing qualities such as conformation has not generally been considered suitable for beef production, despite there being more than enough capacity to absorb the meat from these calves into the British beef market. As a result many of these calves are either killed soon after birth or exported to continental veal farms where they may be kept in rearing systems that do not meet UK standard because the groups of calves are housed on slatted floors with no bedding.
What is success?
The success of the Beyond Calf Exports Stakeholders Forum will be measured by:
- an increased uptake of male dairy calves into the UK beef chain
- a reduction in calves killed on far
- a reduction in live exports of calves for further fattening
To achieve this we will need to:-
- work to support and encourage the development of economically viable outlets for the domestic rearing and finishing of male dairy calves
- work to raise awareness, to identify and develop potential domestic and export market opportunities for home produced beef from male dairy calves
- support and encourage technical and breeding developments to assist dairy farmers wishing either to reduce the number of male dairy calves born on their farms or to improve the quality of calves that are presented to market
- support and encourage high welfare standards within calf rearing systems both domestically and in other EU member states support and encourage consumers to purchase welfare-friendly British beef.
What is the Forum doing now?
In November 2009 the Forum members released its 2009 annual report.
This contains analysis and case studies from industry (AHDB, EBLEX), producers (Blade Farming, European Farmers Network, Linden Foods), and retailers (ASDA, Marks & Spencer, McDonald's, Morrison's, Sainsbury's, Tesco, Waitrose) on how male dairy calves are being brought into the domestic supply chain for beef and veal, on how calf quality is being improved and on how animal welfare is being promoted.
Two new papers have been recently published. Click here to download them.