The ISPCA is horrified at reports of huge numbers of dead calves on a farm in Co Limerick and is calling on the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue TD, to ensure that the situation is thoroughly and robustly investigated, and has offered any assistance it can provide.
The ISPCA added that it is concerned about dairy calf welfare more generally. The Irish dairy herd has increased from 1.1 million to 1.65 million over recent years, an increase the ISPCA feels may lead to an increase in the industry’s waste product, i.e. male calves which are of no use to the industry. The ISPCA believes that the best way to deal with this problem is to seek sensible policies to reverse the increase in the dairy herd.
The ISPCA’s animal welfare policies on farmed animals can be found here.
