Dairy's 'dirty secret': it's still cheaper to kill male calves than to rear them

Dairy farms need female cows to produce milk but with little demand for male calves many farmers can't afford to keep them beyond birthThe number of male calves being killed straight after birth is on the rise again, despite efforts by the dairy industry to end the practice known as 'the dirty secret'. A Guardian analysis shows that it can cost a farmer up to ?30 per calf to sell it on for beef or veal, while early disposal costs just ?9. A growing number of farmers feel compelled to take the latter option, with 95,000 killed on-farm in the most recent set of figures. Continue reading...