On 16th July, a report was published in 'The Times' and also posted on timesonline about 12 British calves exported to Holland which are infected with TB. Dutch farmers have now imposed a commercial ban on imports of calves from Britain, and British farmers in the calf-exporting industry fear that the E.U. may impose an official ban on imports to the Continent. However, they may get lucky - the E.U may force DEFRA to go ahead with badger culling in England in an attempt to control TB in dairy herds - although badgers are not the cause of TB in dairy cows, but the bad conditions which they suffer in intensive farming.
Millions of calves are produced by the dairy industry each year, ie they are born to dairy cows and taken away so that the mothers can lactate milk for human consumption. The new-born male calves are exported to the Continent by lorry to be crated and slaughtered in the cruel white veal industry.
For more information, go to
www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article4340286.ece
and www.milkmyths.org.uk/
For the industry response, go to www.meatinfo.co.uk/articles/64503/Fear-of-calf-export-ban-after-
TB-outbreak.aspx?categoryid=9045
and www.thedairysite.com/news/23600/dutch-boycott-uk-cattle-over-tb-sale