live animal exports

It was a lorry load of day old calves going through Dover docks over 30 years ago that confirmed me as a vegetarian. I will never forget that sound.

It makes me so cross that rose veal is not promoted more on TV food programmes. They're awash with opportunities and yet I can only remember one (years ago) with Janet Street Porter and Gordon Ramsay. Every time I see a chef on a farm waxing lyrical about chickens/ducks/geese/sheep/cattle etc., I wonder why they're ignoring veal calves.

The British public needs educating about rose veal so what's stopping them?

Glad to hear that at least some butchers are spreading the word!

Calves are (unfortunately) a sort of by-product of dairy farming, and most will not be of the breed to become good beef, but I feel that with a bit of education, we should be able to go some way to at least reducing the export trade.

Our butcher has rose veal. We never eat white veal but rose veal is better reared I believe - and actually has some flavour.

Many years ago when I was with exdh, I kept a small (50) flock of sheep. I was happier getting orders for meat and sending the lambs to the abattoir rather than sell them at market and risk them being transported halfway across Europe.

The veal market was (is?) the worst, as there is little demand for veal in the UK, the calves are transported long distances under less than ideal conditions, often to end up in veal crates.

I understand that dairy farmers do have a problem with the "excess" calves, but perhaps a bit of education on what some people call "rosy veal" could turn the tide?

Thank you for marching. I expect there are many of us who would have been there with you if it were practical for us.

I support CiWF and always sign any petitions. If you march again can you carry a banner saying you're also marching for Tegan and NfkDumpling?

[I've been nosy and looked at your profile and you say one of your favourite books is National Velvet..it's one of my all time favourites as well; I don't regard it as a childrens book but an almost contemporary story of the effects of '5 minutes of fame' on ordinary people. I must read it again..I sometimes dip into it and read a few pages..tiny men in silk and all that ]

Good for you; it's certainly something that I would have gone on. A couple of years ago the S.O. told me he'd seen a large transporter full of horses that he was pretty sure was heading for Europe; even though I didn't see it myself it haunts me like a spectre. As you say, there's no reason why they should be transported live [although the recent horse meat scandal hasn't helped, I suppose].