• SeahorseTreble@lemmy.worldOP
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    1 year ago

    I’m sorry but your math doesn’t reflect the reality of most dairy farms. The male calves are indeed mainly killed for veal. And I didn’t say most calves are killed for veal, I said most male calves. Indeed, most female calves are raised to become dairy cows, and some male calves are raised to become beef cows, or bulls used for their semen for artificially inseminating dairy cows, or in some cases for mating.

    Overall you might say then that most calves are raised until a few years old for slaughter, either as dairy cows, dairy bulls or beef cattle (keep in mind they can live until 20-25 years), but most male calves are killed as babies for veal.

    “Because male cattle cannot produce milk, dairy producers treat these animals as disposable—or “surplus.” Some are sold to be raised for beef, likely on crowded feedlots with up to 150,000 cattle crammed into filthy enclosures. Others—in fact, the majority—will be sold for veal. The remaining calves will be killed shortly after birth.”

    https://thehumaneleague.org/article/veal-animal#:~:text=Because male cattle cannot produce,will be sold for veal.

    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/mar/26/dairy-dirty-secret-its-still-cheaper-to-kill-male-calves-than-to-rear-them

    • commie@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      1 year ago

      My math is based on numbers from the USDA. your sources are narratives from biased organizations. Even they aren’t dishonest enough to not admit that male calves are raised for beef. they prefer to focus on the veal production because they think it’s more horrific but try to pin them down on the actual number of cattle that are brought to full weight before slaughter.