Animal Care Statement

Veal Farmers of Ontario Commitment to Animal Care 

January 2021 

First and foremost, the health and welfare of our animals is of paramount importance to Ontario’s veal farmers and Veal Farmers of Ontario (VFO). Together, we are committed to responsible livestock care and handling. This means animals in our care deserve to be healthy, safe, and well-cared for, able to express normal behavior, and experience freedom from hunger, thirst, discomfort, pain, injury, disease, fear, and distress.

VFO strongly condemns any animal abuse and is respectful of the leadership roles of the agencies charged with monitoring animal care in Ontario. VFO demonstrated this commitment through a formalized partnership with the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA) from 2014 to 2019 to assist with on-farm animal care issues and has worked closely with the Provincial Animal Welfare Services (PAWS) as part of the Ministry of the Solicitor General since January 2020, when the PAWS Act replaced the OSPCA Act. VFO has also been an active participant in Farm & Food Care’s “Animal Care Helpline” since 1992.

VFO supports the 2017 update of the Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Veal Cattle (the Code), developed through the National Farm Animal Care Council’s process. To learn more about the Code development process, visit https://www.nfacc.ca/code-development-process. 

The Code is the veal industry’s standard of care and all veal producers across Canada are expected to follow it. VFO does not have the regulatory authority to enforce the Code but will support the Code in the event there are on-farm issues. The Code is scientifically-based, summarizes the current knowledge of veal cattle welfare, and references helpful resources. VFO understands the importance of following this Code to promote the health and well-being of veal cattle.

To read the Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Veal Cattle (2017), click here.

VFO firmly believes that understanding how different people, such as producers, researchers, veterinarians, government, retailers or the public, view animal welfare can help groups with different focuses realize that everyone is aiming for the same goal: to maintain the excellent level of animal care on farms across Ontario while striving for continuous improvement. Working with animals is important work that we take seriously. We are proud of what we do.