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RAISING DAIRY CALVES
Raising male dairy calves is one of the biggest ethical dilemmas in the dairy industry. For a cow to produce milk, it needs to calve. Yet, less than 1% of Australian dairy farmers raise all the calves that result from the dairy production.
MALE CALVES Our commitment to raising our male dairy calves is not financially viable and has added a layer of complexity to our production. However, we believe that raising all calves is not only the right thing to do – but that it may also turn into a sustainable production. On our dairy farm, Clovelly Dairy, in Tasmania, we think differently. We are among a few dairy farms in Australia, who have a dedicated goal to raise all calves from our dairy production including all our male calves. This is a matter of pride and principle; born out of the our sustainability philosophy and our ethics of always trying to do what we believe is right.
We want to prove that raising male dairy calves can be profitable without compromising animal welfare. If we succeed, we will hopefully serve as an inspiration for other dairy farmers to follow.
CARING FOR OUR CALVES Currently, we make a loss on each of our male dairy calves. Regardless, we raise our calves in the same way. We do not separate them by gender, so all calves receive the same care and attention. During the busy calving season, we hand-raise about 2,850 calves, of which 1,000 are male.
