28 January 2008 -- An influential forum of UK beef and dairy organisations, retailers and animal welfarists is backing a set of potentially far-reaching aims in a bid to solve the problem of the UK dairy industry's black-and-white male dairy calves.

Until now, many of the black-and-white male dairy calves have been considered unsuitable for beef production and, as a result, many of the 482,000 born in the United Kingdom (UK) each year are either killed soon after birth or exported to continental veal farms, where they may be kept in group rearing systems that do not meet UK standards.

Note: In New Zealand thousands of black-and-white bull calves are raised for beef.

The Beyond Calf Exports Stakeholders Forum was established in June 2006 after an initiative by Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) and the RSPCA. The stakeholders include retailers, producers, industry bodies, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and animal welfare groups.

It aims to find realistic and economically viable alternatives that would result in a reduction in the number of male dairy calves killed shortly after birth and also the number that are exported live to veal farms.

In their new report, which follows 18 months of intense research and debate, forum members have agreed to support and encourage:

• The development of economically viable alternatives for the domestic rearing and finishing of male dairy calves.

• The development of technical and breeding improvements that may reduce the number of male dairy calves born and/or improve calf quality.

• High welfare standards for calf rearing in the UK and other European Union (EU) member states.

The intention is that the forum's agreement should lead to significant changes in UK dairy and beef farming practices that, when translated into specific proposals by individual stakeholders, are likely to create a sea-change in attitudes to male dairy calves.