Veal: back on the menu?

The Real Food Festival, one of the highlights of the foodie calendar has kicked off today with its array of celebrities chefs, organic farmers and retailers.

But one of the products being promoted this year is stirring up controversy - British veal.

It's a meat which many people associate with animal cruelty but now the same campaign groups which worked so hard to ban veal crates in the 1990s are supporting the production of so-called "ethical veal".

'Ethical veal'

Veal calves sometimes only have a couple of months to live. It's a fact that will put many people off the idea of eating the meat.

But farmers argue that this is no different from eating lamb and that what matters is how well the calves are treated.

Veal is a by-product of the dairy industry, in order to produce milk, dairy cows have to give birth one calf a year. If it's male its prospects are grim.

In the UK around 480,000 dairy bull calves are born each year. Last year nearly half of these were raised as beef or veal, but there's a limited market for this.

Instead over a 150,000 were slaughtered at birth while 65,000 were exported live to be produced as veal abroad where welfare standards are less strict.

Compassion in World Farming campaigned against the infamous veal crate in the 1990s but the bleak prospects for male dairy calves are now prompting them to support the British veal industry.

"Veal is back on the welfare agenda, but for good reason this time. Consumers can make a difference and end calves being exported abroad or being shot soon after birth by buying British veal produced in higher welfare systems." - Philip Lymbery, Compassion in World Farming.

Veal also has supporters in the organic food industry. At one award winning restaurant in north London, it's on the menu as a sustainable food.

"People are asking about it, but because it's organic they assume it's food that they can trust." Geetie Sigh, Manager, Duke of Cambridge

But for some distaste at eating such young animals makes welfare conditions irrelevant

"I very much believe that veal calves are killed too young. They live a fraction of their natural lives. The British public have a problem wtih this, that's why veal production here is so low. People don't want to be eating baby animals which is what they're doing." - Justin Kerswel, Vegetarians International Voice for Animals

Veal remains a minority taste in Britain - only one in a hundred households eat it and it accounts for point one per cent of the meat bought.

Its supporters may have their work cut out if they're to persuade more of us to start eating it.

Elodie Harper reports.

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