AIBU to ask why it’s unacceptable to eat Veal, but Lamb is fine?

[Wills]

I’ve just returned from a holiday in France where Veal is as common as Lamb yet back here Veal is a big no no but lamb is acceptable? I’m not keen on Beef or Veal, just interested in what the difference is in terms of eating baby animals?

I don't find either acceptable but I suspect the main answer is the conditions which are necessary to produce veal are more well-known, and inhumane.

I remember Hugh FW doing an episode on this and the horror from people about eating veal

But we consume tons of lamb?!

Traditonally veal was produced by keeping young calves in darkened spaces to keep the meat white. Tradionally lamb is produced by keeping them in fields with their mother. A world of difference.

The calves raised for veal are kept inside in an extremely restricted space; whereas lambs get to live outside in large fields.

The calves used for veal are also separated from their mothers at birth; lambs are not.

My local farm shops sell both, so apparently we still have local people who have no moral issue with it.

But you are making a good point, like everything else, it's a fashion, otherwise the opinions would be consistent.

Ok, that I didn’t know. Many thanks everyone.

We are a hypocritical nation. Claiming to love animals, yet killing them for no need. Dairy is cruel too, but people don't want to think about it.

Why separated from the mums? It that more cos of the dairy industry rather than veal industry? I've heard cows are sent back to milk immediately after birth to maximise milking, don't know if that's true?

Rose veal isproduced in much less inhumane conditions.

It’s because of the conditions they are kept in - restricted space so they can’t exercise, restricted diet (no fibre) which also means no
access to bedding to sleep on comfortably.

So it’s not just because it’s a baby animal. It’s more like the difference between foie gras and other pate. You can get “rose veal” which is meant to be better welfare in the UK.

As PP said, veal us traditionally "crated" as is calf lives in a dark box to avoid toughening the meat. So that's bad
Rose veal is more like lamb, from animal who get to walk round. A good use of male calves from dairy herds.

I mean it’s nonsense isn’t it. Either your will eat baby animals or you don’t. No point being high and mighty over one baby animal than the other.

Id eat both and do although I don’t really like lamb in general nothing to do with animal rights or that though just don’t like the taste Particularly but I won’t turn down a lamb roast.

It’s because the French don’t care about how their meat is reared while British people do. Most veal there is still white and still produced in inhumane conditions. It’s why I no longer buy French dairy products because they pitch male calves as a ‘buy product’ of their dairy industry.

The calves are separated from the mums and crated in restricted movement pens to keep the build of muscle and connective tissue to a minimum, which keeps the meat tender.

Dairy cows are also separated from their calves, and there are ethical concerns with dairy practices - it just doesn't involve crating the calves.

It's not just French. Veal is commonly eaten all over.
I had same questions in UK about rabbits

All UK veal is rose veal. Also likely to be the case across the EU as veal crates were banned in 2007 although there may be issues about transportation.

About calves reared for veal | Compassion in World Farming (ciwf.eu)

Of course, most people have no qualms about eating chicken that is killed at 6 to 8 weeks old.

Like a PP says, we're a hypocritical nation and object to things that we poorly understand.

People will rant against the cruelty that is halal meal, when in most cases, it is reared and slaughtered in exactly the same way as standard meat, only with a prayer being played. This will be the case for anything mass produced and sold in mainstream retailers or caterers. You need to go to a specialist Muslim butcher if you want 'real' halal meat.

The production of veal was considered really cruel and the use of the close confinement cages were banned here in the 90’s and across the EU in 2007.

Hugh FW was trying to promote rose veal in the UK, which is a by-product of the dairy industry - bull calves would be killed shortly after birth as they of no use to a dairy farmer, but they can now be reared for rose veal. It’s pinker than the European veal as they are fed on a suitable diet, not just milk reared in closed barns.

This is quite good resource:

https://www.rspcaassured.org.uk/farm-animal-welfare/beef-cattle/what-is-veal/

agree that the conditions for veal cows are much worse than for lambs; they're taken from the mother at birth (but all calves are - the milk dairy cows produce is only there because they've had the calf but it's all taken for the human) (a very very tiny number of dairies are trialing keeping the calf with the cow) while lambs at least get to live in fields and socialise until they're taken for slaughter.

For me a better question would be why lambs but not puppies; why pigs but not dogs...

You couldn’t get any more different in terms of animal welfare and quality of life than traditionally raised lamb and traditionally raised veal! Do people really not know this stuff?

Lambs live a lovely, free range life with their mothers and herd-mates.

Continental veal farming is cruel … https://www.ciwf.org.uk/farm-animals/cows/veal-calves/

There is higher welfare rose veal available now.

There is a huge difference between traditional veal and rose veal. As far as I am aware, all veal sold in the Uk is rose veal. I don’t see any/much difference between rose veal and lamb. White veal is obviously very different.

Of course, most people have no qualms about eating chicken that is killed at 6 to 8 weeks old.

I have more issue with the moaning it costs more than a pound thatn even the age

I don’t find eating any animal acceptable.

Since the dairy cows' male calves are removed from them at birth, why are these not sold on for (veal) meat?

Is there something wrong with them?

Some of them are - when I lived in rural ruralshire several local farmers raised young bullocks from dairy herds to be sold for meat. However, dairy breeds are bred for their milk production capacity rather than their meat yield and quality and often farmers find it economically unviable to invest space and money in growing male calves from dairy cattle knowing that they’ll not be able to sell them for an adequate price.

summarising what other people have said, lambs aren’t tortured, classic veal calves are.

If you divide people into 3 groups (I know there are actually far more):

1. won’t eat meat
2. will only eat animals that have been ethically raised and humanely killed
3. will eat any animals

lamb can fall into category 2, classic veal (raised in darkness in tiny crates fed on material cows would not normally eat) can only ever fall into category 3.