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Bobby Calves

In order to produce milk cows have to give birth to a calf every year. Bobby calves are the unwanted male offspring born to dairy cows.  Currently there are an estimated 600,000 Bobby calves born per annum in Victoria.  Many calves are born prematurely after an induced birth as a way of keeping milking herds on a uniform milk production cycle. These male calves are usually separated from their mothers at a little more than a day old, and then fed milk from a bucket.

At around four days old these calves are then transported to an abattoir to be slaughtered for veal. Under the “National Bobby Calf Declaration” farmers must now sign a form stating that the calves they are selling are older than five days.  However this is difficult to prove as the only currently-used measure to gauge the age of Bobby calves is the dryness of their umbilical cord.  This measure has been found to be a poor indicator of age.  A recent study found that if cord dryness was used to select calves for sale 86.4% of Friesian bull calves and 100% of cross- bred calves would be sold prior to their fifth day of life. (1)

A government-sponsored workshop to identify animal welfare issues within Animal Industries (2) determined that an “extremely important welfare issue” was the number of calves being loaded at three to five days of age.  These calves are ill prepared to stand up to the rigours of transport, particularly as they are often transported at stocking densities that do not allow them to lie down.  As farmers are not required to keep records that would enable individual calves to be identified and their date of birth proven (or if they have been induced) many calves are transported at only three days old.

According to the Code of Accepted Farming Practice for the Welfare of Cattle, calves can be transported for up to 10 hours and not fed for up to 24 hours prior to slaughter.  Unfortunately even this low level of care cannot be enforced as this code of practice is only advisory in Victoria. Anecdotal reports suggest that many calves are transported for longer periods and remain unfed for up to 48 hours prior to slaughter.  Holding facilities for calves are often open yards with concrete or dirt floors with no bedding or shelter (3). Whilst the Code of Practice states that electric goads should not be used on Bobby calves, these devices are routinely used by handlers, often in front of Government Audit teams (3).

RSPCA Victoria wants legislated codes of practice for animal welfare in Victoria to allow prosecution/penalties for non-compliance.  Production animal Codes of Practice primarily define only the most limited levels of animal welfare and even these do not have to be complied with.  This is the only way that the welfare of low dollar value animals such as Bobby calves can be protected.

Other issues that RSPCA wants to be addressed:

• The practise of calve induction should be replaced by better on farm herd management. Induced
  calves should not be sold and must be humanely euthanased on farm.

• Bobby calves must be slaughtered within 10 hours of farm gate.

• Calves should be at least 10 days old prior to loading. Farmers should be required to keep
  appropriate records to ensure that under-aged calves are not sold.

• Holding facilities for Bobby calves must have dry, non-slip surfaces and be well sheltered at all times.

REFERENCES

1. Drying times of umbilical cord of dairy calves (Australian Veterinary Journal 83 (6) 2005 Sue J Hides.

2. A Workshop to Identify Animal Welfare Issues within Animal Industries 2002- Animal Welfare Centre.

3. The Jack Green Fellowship to study and document guidelines and technologies for the management of
   surplus dairy calves which could be adapted by the Victorian dairy industry to enhance Bobby calf welfare
   and improve the quality and yield of Bobby calf veal - Sue Hides 1999.