Costco announced today that it has initiated new standards for its veal suppliers:
Costco’s new policy requires that calves not be tethered, that their stalls be large enough to move around and lie down, and that there be at least two calves to a stall.
They must be inspected at least twice a day by a caregiver and be given nutritious feed and fresh water. The farms must have a third-party veterinarians and third-party annual audits, and — although the [Mercy For Animals] video made no indication of this — the calves cannot be touched by electric prods or be put into the food supply if they are not ambulatory.
The company is claiming ignorance of the things revealed in yesterday’s Mercy For Animals video. Seems to me their meat buyers might be more proactive about checking into the animal welfare standards of its suppliers, instead of proclaiming ignorance as a defense. And it also sounds as if Costco’s animal welfare inspections are so infrequent, and involve so few factory farms, as to be meaningless.
Any step towards better animal welfare is welcome, but Costco’s decision to continue selling veal is only going to tarnish their brand until they get rid of it once and for all. Could the company really be making enough profit from veal to justify the damage it inflicts upon its reputation? Link.
