The American Veal Assn. (AVA) released newly approved Ethical Commitments that “demonstrate the association’s commitment to food safety, animal welfare, environmental stewardship and labor and human rights and include the addition of indicators and targets.”
The document is “an evolution of our Statement of Principles, first adopted by the organization in 2010,” the association said. “The AVA has outlined commitments for our veal farm partners and employees within each core principle and set target dates and stages to meet those goals.”
“These Ethical Commitments outline our dedication to producing veal in the most sustainable and ethical manner possible today and in the future,” said AVA President Sonia Arnold. “Verification of our progress will be achieved through various means such as audits, validation from licensed veterinarians and reports to the North American Meat Institute’s Protein Pact.
“We are also pleased to announce the first-ever life cycle assessment study of U.S. milk-fed veal will be compiled to quantify the environmental impacts of U.S. veal farm production,” she added.
The Ethical Commitments include five principal areas:
1. Animal Welfare – Quality care for our animals at every stage of life.
2. Environment – Conservation of our precious natural resources.
3. Food Safety – Safe, quality food as our first responsibility.
4. Health & Wellness – Veal’s role in a healthy diet.
5. Labor & Human Rights – Enhancing the quality of life for people and our communities.
There is a lot more detail to these online; see www.americanveal.com/ethical-commitments.
Milk-fed veal is a USDA classification that describes dairy bull calves that are fed a special milk formula rich in nutrients, raised to about six months of age and a market weight of 500 lbs. or more.
