Cattle | November 2025
Health of imported calves versus age on arrival Large numbers of veal calves are imported into the Netherlands every year. Since 2023, calves in Germany have only been able to leave the farm from the age of 28 days. As part of its animal health monitoring programme, GD investigated whether the health of imported veal calves differs from that of veal calves born in the Netherlands, and whether there is a relationship with the age of these calves upon arrival at the veal calf farm. Between 2020 and 2024, more than half of the veal calves raised in the Netherlands were Dutch, a third were German, and the rest were mainly from Belgium, Denmark, Estonia or Ireland. Imported calves can pose a different risk of introducing pathogens than Dutch calves because different pathogens may be prevalent in their countries of origin. Analyses of mortality rates, antibiotic use and pathological findings at necropsy revealed differences in the health of veal calves from various countries. Calves from Ireland that go to white veal farms perform better than calves born in the Netherlands; Irish calves have a lower risk of mortality and the use of antibiotics is lower. During the study period, German calves did less well than those born in the Netherlands in terms of mortality risk
and antibiotic use on white veal farms. The incidence of infectious lung diseases was also higher at autopsy in German calves. On average, German calves did not have a greater chance of mortality than Dutch calves on rosé veal farms. In Germany, it has been mandatory since 1 January 2023 to keep calves on the dairy farm for at least 28 days instead of at least 14 days before they can be removed. Since then, data has become available on how several batches of calves performed in the Netherlands that were older upon arrival at the veal farms. The results showed that German calves have had a lower risk of mortality at Dutch white or rosé veal farms in the first months after weaning since the minimum age for moving them was raised. Taken over the entire fattening period up to the time of slaughter, though, the mortality rates of German white and rosé veal calves were no better than those of Dutch calves. A further striking fact was that the use of antibiotics in German white veal herds has not fallen since 2023. For these reasons, the conclusion was that German veal calves have not performed significantly better since the increase in the minimum age for slaughter than they did before.
Animal health monitoring Royal GD has been responsible for animal health monitoring in the Netherlands since 2002, in close collaboration with the veterinary sectors, the business community, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature, veterinarians and farmers. The information used for the surveillance programme is gathered in various ways, whereby the initiative comes in part from vets and farmers, and partly from Royal GD. This information is fully interpreted to achieve the objectives of the surveillance programme – rapid identification of health issues on the one hand and monitoring trends and developments on the other. Together, we team up for animal health, in the interests of animals, their owners and society at large.