NVWA takes action against Irish transporters
The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) is taking enforcement action against violations involving the long-distance transport of young calves from Ireland to the Netherlands. The authority states that unweaned calves may not be left without milk for more than nine hours during transport, as to do so causes undue harm and suffering. However, on current journeys, the calves are left without milk for 24 – 30 hours, sometimes even longer. The NVWA is the first competent authority in Europe to take enforcement action against this practice. Despite an audit by the EU Commission in 2022 concluding these journeys are not in line with legislation, DAFM continues to authorise these journeys.
Violations must stop
Four Irish transporters have received a notice of the NVWA’s intention to impose an order subject to periodic penalty payments. The NVWA is requiring them to stop the violations. The transport companies will be given one year to adapt their practices. After that period, the NVWA may impose financial penalties if further violations occur.
The NVWA has substantiated that unweaned calves may not be transported without milk for longer than nine hours. This is based on scientific reports by the EFSA (European Food and Safety Authority) that state calves must be fed at least every 12 hours to avoid feelings of hunger. Transporters can avoid this violation by only transporting calves that are at least two months old, or by limiting journeys involving younger calves to a maximum of eight hours. Feeding calves younger than two months at appropriate intervals, and in a manner suited to their species, size, and age, is not possible because the calves are stuck in a truck on a ferry.
Breakthrough
The NVWA’s action follows an enforcement request submitted in 2024 by Eyes on Animals, Ethical Farming Ireland and Dier&Recht. After years of legal proceedings, the animal welfare organizations are relieved by this breakthrough. Eyes on Animals and Ethical Farming Ireland have been monitoring the transport of young Irish calves for more than ten years.
Caroline Rowley, director of Ethical Farming Ireland: “It’s great to see an authority finally taking a stand to ensure legislation is respected. It’s just a shame this action isn’t coming from Ireland. Numerous studies have proven how much these young and vulnerable animals suffer due to extended feed deprivation during these long journeys so we very much welcome this move by the NVWA. The Dutch authorities care more about the welfare of Irish calves than our own government does.”
Lesley Moffat, ethologist and director of Eyes on Animals: “Legislation only protects animals if someone actually checks what happens along the way. We recorded the journey times and documented that calves barely three weeks old were left without milk for more than 30 hours. That fieldwork forms the basis for the enforcement request that has now finally prompted the NVWA to take action.”
Frederieke Schouten, director of Dier&Recht and veterinarian: “This step strikes at the very foundation of these transports. The calves must be given warm milk individually during the journey, but this is not practically feasible in a fully loaded truck. The calves are still far too young and need help drinking from a teat. We expect the Dutch veal sector, including VanDrie Group, to finally take both the welfare of these animals and the law seriously and to stop importing unweaned Irish calves.”
Listen to the science
Every year, approximately 90,000 Irish calves only a few weeks old are transported to Dutch veal farms. The long journey is extremely taxing for these young animals; many become weak, they suffer from dehydration and hypoglycaemia, and some even die en route. Peer reviewed studies conducted between 2023 and 2025 all conclude that calves suffer both during the journey and after arrival at the veal farm, where they are blanket dosed with antibiotics and take several weeks to recover. These studies were conducted in conjunction with Taegasc yet they are coimpletely ignored by the Irish authorities.
We are very grateful to the Dutch authorities for standing up for Irish calves, whilst our own authorities fight tooth and nail to keep this cruel and contentious industry going.
Related articles:
Dutch to fine Irish carriers transporting unweaned calves
NVWA takes action against transport of calves from Ireland: too long en route without milk
It’s time Irish dairy farmers who sell their calves to exporters started looking for alterntives. The days are numbered for this industry. There is a better way to do dairy
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