On November 18, 2002, a bill to prevent the inhumane treatment of veal calves (S 1478) was approved by the New Jersey Senate Economic Growth, Agriculture and Tourism Committee with five out of six committee members voting ‘yes’ on the measure. This legislation now goes to the full Senate for consideration, while a companion bill (A 1948) is being considered in the New Jersey Assembly Agriculture Committee. If enacted, this will be the first law in the U.S. to ban inhumane veal industry practices.

Senator Wayne Bryant, D-Camden and Gloucester, sponsored S 1478 and stated, “The conditions that these calves are raised in are simply abhorrent. Spending their entire lives in crates that are only two-feet-wide, forced into being anemic because they are fed an all-liquid milk substitute deficient in iron and fiber, many of these poor animals suffer chronic stress and spend most of their short lives constantly medicated. Very simply, that’s just no way to live.”

To produce veal, young calves are taken from their mothers and chained by the neck in crates measuring just two-feet-wide. They are denied adequate iron in their diets to produce anemia and the pale-colored meat sold as veal. Polls conducted in New Jersey earlier this year by Zogby International and the Eagleton Institute at Rutgers University found widespread support for Senator Bryant’s legislation. Zogby found that 85 percent of New Jersey citizens consider it unacceptable to confine calves in crates, and Eagleton found a 5 to 1 margin of support for the bill.

Senator Bryant stated, “I can’t believe that in a civilized society, we would tolerate such abominable conditions for calves raised for veal production, simply to provide for our own convenience. With compassion and humanity, we can greatly increase the quality of life for the short life spans of these calves.”

More information about the Farm Sanctuary’s campaign to prevent cruel farming practices in New Jersey is available at www.njfarms.org.