DEFRA changes stance on once-a-day milk feeding to calves
DEFRA has retracted a statement which mistakenly claimed it was illegal to feed young calves just once a day with milk replacer.
The statement caused widespread anger among suppliers of replacer after it was published as a letter in the Veterinary Record journal on 2 February.
DEFRA alleged it was illegal to feed calves younger than four weeks less than twice daily with liquid milk replacer based on the Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) Regulations 2007 (WOFAR). The regulations implement the EU Calves Directive 2008/119/EC and stipulate that all calves must be fed at least twice a day.
However, crucially, it does not say both feeds must be milk and the letter was quickly challenged.
Tom Warren, managing director of Bonanza Calf Nutrition, said he was “furious” farmers who were striving for high calf health and feeding their calves milk once a day had been told they were breaking the law.
“We’ve had a lot of angry and concerned farmers and consultants on the phone. I think the rules surrounding calf feeding should be more clearly defined.
“The confusion is that most of the welfare code is concerned with veal calves and the UK farmer should not be put in the same category as a European veal farmer from a bygone age,” Mr Warren said.
Keith Gardiner, sales director for Wessex Animal Health, branded DEFRA’s letter as “disappointing” and “careless at the very least”.
“There has been real fear and scare factor as a result of what was said incorrectly. A bad seed has been sown that will take a bit of undoing.”
In its retraction DEFRA said: “It is not illegal to feed calves once a day with liquid food providing they are given supplementary food appropriate to their age.”
It added that the requirement for twice-daily feeding remained until six months of age.
Regarding once-a-day milk feeding, a DEFRA spokesman said: “In practice, calves do not eat a sufficient amount of solid food in the first four weeks of life to constitute a feed. Therefore, where this is the case, calves should be fed twice a day with liquid food to satisfy their nutritional needs.”
However, Philip Ingram, ruminant product manager for Provimi, said the legislation was difficult to interpret.
“It is clear in the legislation that calves must be fed and inspected twice a day. However, it is not clear when to go to once-a-day milk feeding and this is why the confusion has arisen.”
Mr Ingram said although some of the comments in the Veterinary Record were wrong, it also correctly highlighted that farmers needed to carefully consider whether once-a-day milk feeding was best suited to their system. Correct husbandry was crucial to avoid problems.
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