Exposed: How Vulnerable Young Calves Are Caged and Isolated on EU Farms
Vulnerable. Isolated. Alone. Can you believe we treat calves this way?
Up to 60% of calves in the EU are kept in similar conditions. Will you work to change this and help #EndTheCageAge?
The vulnerable young calves are taken away from their mothers soon after birth and kept isolated for weeks in individual pens. They won’t see their mothers or feel the warmth of their care ever again.
Alone in a cage, their behaviour is severely restricted, and they’re deprived of opportunities for interacting with other calves.
The Compassion in World Farming investigation of five Polish dairy farms found young calves confined to small pens with minimal opportunities for play, exercise, or social contact. One farm kept calves outside in hutches in the snow. They weren’t even given the opportunity to huddle together for warmth.
This issue isn’t specific to Poland. A study found that up to 60% of calves in the EU are kept in similar conditions. The dairy and meat industries are responsible for this cruelty.
The best way to help calves like those featured in the video is to go vegan. Rejecting the daily cruelty that occurs on farms and in abattoirs in Europe is as easy as making some simple and delicious changes when you sit down for dinner. PETA’s free vegan starter kit for tips, recipes, and advice.
EU citizens have another opportunity to help: the #EndTheCageAge European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) could bring about a seismic shift in Europe’s farming system. Through the ECI, EU citizens are coming together and demanding that the European Commission ban the use of cages and crates in animal agriculture. For the sake of animals on farms in Europe, we need to reach 1 million validated signatures on the ECI.
