Thedualaimsofvealproductionarefirstly,toproduceacalf
of the greatest weight in the shortest possible time and
secondly,tokeepitsmeataslightcoloredaspossibletofulfill
theconsumer’srequirement.Allataprofitcommensurateto
the risk and investment involved.^93
Thenarrowstallsandtheirslattedwoodenfloorsareaserious
source of discomfortto the calves.When thecalves grow
larger, they cannot even stand up and lie down without
difficulty. As a report from a research group headed by
ProfessorJohnWebsteroftheanimalhusbandryunitatthe
School of Veterinary Science, University of Bristol, in
England, noted:
Vealcalvesincrates 750 mmwidecannot,ofcourse,lieflat
withtheirlegsextended....Calvesmaylielikethiswhenthey
feelwarmandwishtoloseheat....Well-grownvealcalvesat
airtemperaturesabove 20 degreesC[68degreesF]maybe
uncomfortablyhot.Denyingthemtheopportunitytoadopta
positiondesignedtomaximiseheat lossonlymakesthings
worse....Vealcalvesinboxesovertheageof 10 weekswere
unabletoadoptanormalsleepingpositionwiththeirheads
tuckedintotheirsides.Weconcludethatdenyingvealcalves
the opportunity to adopt a normal sleeping posture is a
significant insult to welfare. To overcome this, the crates
would need to be at least 900 mm wide.^94
American readers should note that 750 millimeters is
equivalentto 2 feet 6 inches,and 900 millimetersto 3 feet,
bothconsiderably morethanstandard 1 foot 10 inchcrates
used in the United States.