Welfare of calves

Søren Saxmose Nielsen; Julio Alvarez; Dominique Joseph Bicout; Paolo Calistri; Elisabetta Canali; Julian Ashley Drewe; Bruno Garin-Bastuji; Jose Luis Gonzales Rojas; Christian Gortazar Schmidt; Mette Herskin; Virginie Michel; Miguel Angel Miranda Chueca; Barbara Padalino; Paolo Pasquali; Helen Clare Roberts; Hans Spoolder; Karl Stahl; Antonio Velarde; Arvo Viltrop; Margit Bak Jensen; Susanne Waiblinger; Denise Candiani; Eliana Lima; Olaf Mosbach-Schulz; Yves Van der Stede; Marika Vitali; Christoph Winckler; EFSA Panel on Animal Health and Animal Welfare (AHAW)

doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2023.7896

Welfare of calves

Søren Saxmose Nielsen, Julio Alvarez, Dominique Joseph Bicout, Paolo Calistri, Elisabetta Canali, Julian Ashley Drewe, Bruno Garin-Bastuji, Jose Luis Gonzales Rojas, Christian Gortazar Schmidt, Mette Herskin, Virginie Michel, Miguel Angel Miranda Chueca, Barbara Padalino, Paolo Pasquali, Helen Clare Roberts, Hans Spoolder, Karl Stahl, Antonio Velarde, Arvo Viltrop, Margit Bak JensenSusanne Waiblinger, Denise Candiani, Eliana Lima, Olaf Mosbach-Schulz, Yves Van der Stede, Marika Vitali, Christoph Winckler, EFSA Panel on Animal Health and Animal Welfare (AHAW)

Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences - ANIVET Behaviour, stress and welfare (BSW)

Research output: Contribution to journal/Conference contribution in journal/Contribution to newspaper › Journal article › Research › peer-review

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.

Original language	English
Article number	e07896
Journal	EFSA Journal
Volume	21
Issue	3
Number of pages	197
ISSN	1831-4732
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2023.7896
Publication status	Published - Mar 2023

Keywords

calf welfare
cow–calf contact
husbandry systems
individual housing
iron
veal

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Nielsen, S. S., Alvarez, J., Bicout, D. J., Calistri, P., Canali, E., Drewe, J. A., Garin-Bastuji, B., Gonzales Rojas, J. L., Gortazar Schmidt, C., Herskin, M., Michel, V., Miranda Chueca, M. A., Padalino, B., Pasquali, P., Roberts, H. C., Spoolder, H., Stahl, K., Velarde, A., Viltrop, A., ... EFSA Panel on Animal Health and Animal Welfare (AHAW) (2023). Welfare of calves. EFSA Journal, 21(3), Article e07896. https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2023.7896

@article{68230e30f226477d856caeb76fb3964c,

title = "Welfare of calves",

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.",

keywords = "calf welfare, cow–calf contact, husbandry systems, individual housing, iron, veal",

author = "Nielsen, {S{\o}ren Saxmose} and Julio Alvarez and Bicout, {Dominique Joseph} and Paolo Calistri and Elisabetta Canali and Drewe, {Julian Ashley} and Bruno Garin-Bastuji and {Gonzales Rojas}, {Jose Luis} and {Gortazar Schmidt}, Christian and Mette Herskin and Virginie Michel and {Miranda Chueca}, {Miguel Angel} and Barbara Padalino and Paolo Pasquali and Roberts, {Helen Clare} and Hans Spoolder and Karl Stahl and Antonio Velarde and Arvo Viltrop and Jensen, {Margit Bak} and Susanne Waiblinger and Denise Candiani and Eliana Lima and Olaf Mosbach-Schulz and {Van der Stede}, Yves and Marika Vitali and Christoph Winckler and {EFSA Panel on Animal Health and Animal Welfare (AHAW)}",

note = "Funding Information: The Panel wishes to thank the following for the support provided to this scientific output: WG: Laura Webb; hearing experts: Marta Br{\v s}{\v c}i{\'c}, Joop Lensink and George Stilwell. EFSA would like to thank Mariana Aires, Simona Bottinelli, Mariana Geffroy and Mimi Kalcheva from EFSA, for all the support provided in this Scientific Opinion. In addition, EFSA would like to thank Hans-Hermann Thulke and Karen Laing for the support in the activities related with expert opinion. EFSA wishes to acknowledge the European competent institutions, Member State bodies and other organisations that provided data for this scientific output. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2023 European Food Safety Authority. EFSA Journal published by Wiley-VCH GmbH on behalf of European Food Safety Authority.",

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month = mar,

doi = "10.2903/j.efsa.2023.7896",

language = "English",

volume = "21",

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Nielsen, SS, Alvarez, J, Bicout, DJ, Calistri, P, Canali, E, Drewe, JA, Garin-Bastuji, B, Gonzales Rojas, JL, Gortazar Schmidt, C, Herskin, M, Michel, V, Miranda Chueca, MA, Padalino, B, Pasquali, P, Roberts, HC, Spoolder, H, Stahl, K, Velarde, A, Viltrop, A, Jensen, MB, Waiblinger, S, Candiani, D, Lima, E, Mosbach-Schulz, O, Van der Stede, Y, Vitali, M, Winckler, C & EFSA Panel on Animal Health and Animal Welfare (AHAW) 2023, 'Welfare of calves', EFSA Journal, vol. 21, no. 3, e07896. https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2023.7896

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AU - Nielsen, Søren Saxmose

AU - Alvarez, Julio

AU - Bicout, Dominique Joseph

AU - Calistri, Paolo

AU - Canali, Elisabetta

AU - Drewe, Julian Ashley

AU - Garin-Bastuji, Bruno

AU - Gonzales Rojas, Jose Luis

AU - Gortazar Schmidt, Christian

AU - Herskin, Mette

AU - Michel, Virginie

AU - Miranda Chueca, Miguel Angel

AU - Padalino, Barbara

AU - Pasquali, Paolo

AU - Roberts, Helen Clare

AU - Spoolder, Hans

AU - Stahl, Karl

AU - Velarde, Antonio

AU - Viltrop, Arvo

AU - Jensen, Margit Bak

AU - Waiblinger, Susanne

AU - Candiani, Denise

AU - Lima, Eliana

AU - Mosbach-Schulz, Olaf

AU - Van der Stede, Yves

AU - Vitali, Marika

AU - Winckler, Christoph

AU - EFSA Panel on Animal Health and Animal Welfare (AHAW)

N1 - Funding Information: The Panel wishes to thank the following for the support provided to this scientific output: WG: Laura Webb; hearing experts: Marta Brščić, Joop Lensink and George Stilwell. EFSA would like to thank Mariana Aires, Simona Bottinelli, Mariana Geffroy and Mimi Kalcheva from EFSA, for all the support provided in this Scientific Opinion. In addition, EFSA would like to thank Hans-Hermann Thulke and Karen Laing for the support in the activities related with expert opinion. EFSA wishes to acknowledge the European competent institutions, Member State bodies and other organisations that provided data for this scientific output. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 European Food Safety Authority. EFSA Journal published by Wiley-VCH GmbH on behalf of European Food Safety Authority.

PY - 2023/3

Y1 - 2023/3

N2 - 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.

AB - 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.

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KW - cow–calf contact

KW - husbandry systems

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Welfare of calves

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Keywords

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