http://www.animalsaustralia.org/take_action/bobby-calves/

1 Million Bobby Calves Need Your Help!

There's a good reason why soy milk has gained popularity in recent times. Awareness is growing about the dairy industry's tragic 'waste product'—one million discarded newborn calves, slaughtered every year.

The dairy industry would prefer we weren't aware that cows don't automatically produce milk. Like all females, cows produce milk for their babies. To maintain high milk production, dairy cows must give birth every year. Newborn calves (called bobby calves) are separated from their distressed mothers so that the milk nature intended for them can be sold to humans. At just five days old, those calves not considered 'useful' (mostly males) are sent to be slaughtered. Bewildered baby calves are not easily moved and are therefore prodded, pushed and even thrown by frustrated handlers. Many are denied food for up to 36 hours, and every year thousands of neglected calves die on trucks and in pens—before they reach the slaughterhouse.

Animals Australia advocated important basic reforms in a recent review of Australia's Land Transport of Livestock Standards and Guidelines. Incredibly Dairy Australia and other industry representatives refused to agree to limiting the distance that calves are transported,  or even to feeding them if held overnight at the abattoir.  As a result, the proposed new Standards drafted by Animal Health Australia do not include these reforms, and will sentence millions more bobby calves to a harrowing fate.

State Agriculture Ministers will vote on these new standards in April. Please demand that they include the reforms proposed by animal welfare experts.

1 Million Calves Need Your Help!

Never has the callousness of the dairy industry been so blatant than in their opposition to new standards that would reduce the grievous suffering of one million calves every year. Your voice is needed!

http://www.animalsaustralia.org/take_action/bobby-calves/

At the Primary Industries Ministerial Council meeting in April you will be asked to endorse new Land Transport of Livestock Standards and Guidelines drafted by Animal Health Australia.

I write to express my dismay that important reforms to improve the handling and treatment of bobby calves have not been included in the new Standards and ask that you do not approve them until this clear omission has been addressed.

Minister, I am aware that reviews of standards are held to ensure that the care of animals in Australia is progressed in accordance with community and scientific views as to acceptable treatment of animals.

It is therefore completely unacceptable that the views of Government animal welfare officers, scientists, Animals Australia and RSPCA Australia were ignored during this process. As a result the new standards fail to place any restriction on the distance that these vulnerable calves can be transported, and do not require calves to be fed if held at abattoirs overnight. Instead, it appears that Animal Health Australia has improperly bowed to the dairy industry who refused to support these basic and very obvious measures needed to reduce suffering.

Dairy Australia's unwillingness to acknowledge and act on their responsibility to reduce the suffering of the calves their industry discards is nothing less than appalling.

Growing consumer awareness of the slaughter of these 1 million calves unwanted by the dairy industry each year is the greatest threat to this industry retaining consumer support. If consumers also become aware that the well-being of these discarded baby animals has been ignored by industry operators, there will undoubtedly be a backlash against the dairy industry.

I urge you to ensure that these new Standards reflect community and scientific views and that you demand the reforms proposed to reduce the suffering of bobby calves be included prior to you endorsing them. Delaying clearly needed changes to Standards is not an acceptable option when such decisions impact on the welfare of 1 million calves each year.