French beef calves of the Charolaise breed

by Alina Lilova

Can veal be high-welfare meat? That may be a question of pure semantics. In much of Europe, male dairy calves are fed on milk replacer only and slaughtered at an early age. Their white meat is considered a delicacy by some, but others are rightly horrified by the images of baby calves who never see the sun and can barely stand on their feet, weakened by anaemia and lack of exercise. Many buyers will opt for beef but not veal, on humane grounds – and beef is less expensive, too. But what happens when those buyers travel abroad? Should they rely on their dictionary’s translation of the word “veal”?

In Bulgaria, everybody buys “veal” rather than “beef.” People here know that there is such a thing as a beef steak, but they don’t normally eat it. In addition, “beef” often carries a negative connotation of a very old bovine. However, the veal on the Bulgarian menu is neither milky nor even rosé – it is good ol’ red meat. Fortunately, there is no real market demand for white veal, which is only sold in a handful of luxury restaurants and shops.

Most veal calves in Bulgaria are indeed from dairy breeds but are raised extensively – on pasture – and never slaughtered under the age of 18 months. In other words, nothing but breed distinguishes them from their specialised beef-producing Western cousins, who also enjoy outdoor group living and the taste of real grass. The difference is that beef calves put on more weight faster compared to dual-purpose and dairy calves.

That’s why the industry in Bulgaria was not happy with the European Commission’s strict labelling rules for veal and beef – rules that came about as a result of the widespread disagreement over the terms. The labels eventually did take into account national peculiarities – at http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2007:0854:FIN:EN:HTML you can see that meat from calves under 8 months of age has to be labelled “veal” or some version thereof in many countries, but in Spain for instance it’s got to be called “white veal,” and in Bulgaria, “meat from little calves.” Meat from animals between 8 and 12 months old is “beef” in the UK, “young beef” in France or Slovakia, “rosé veal” in Ireland, and “veal” (телешко) in Bulgaria.

So if you are a meat eater but want to make a humane choice in the restaurant or supermarket, what species you choose may depend on the country you live in. In some places, veal ranks right there with foie gras as a luxury yet unethical product. It is of course easily distinguished by its unnatural colour and high price. In other countries like Bulgaria, “veal” may actually come from animals who live much longer and happier lives than the average factory-farmed pig and broiler chicken in those countries. It is wiser, therefore, to trust your senses before you trust your knowledge of vocabulary!