Transport of veal calves from birth farms to veal farms and calf management in Swiss dairy farms

The calf transports of 34 veal farms were documented over a one-year period in order to describe the transport from dairy to veal farms. Veal farms were visited four to eight times, and general farm management data and information on calf purchase were collected. Thirty-five transports were accompanied and documented in detail by the project team. Whenever possible during the accompanied transports, a questionnaire on calf management prior to purchase (calving location, colostrum feeding, vaccinations, iron and selenium supplementation) was filled in with the manager of the dairy (birth) farm. Unaccompanied transports were recorded using a form completed by the veal farmers and the transporters. Information was collected on the number and origin of the calves, transport duration and distance, and stops on farms and markets. A total of 721 transports from dairy to veal farms (531 transports by veal farmers and 190 by suppliers/livestock traders) were documented in the course of the project. Six veal farmers always collected and transported their own calves, nine received their calves from cattle traders only, and 19 used both systems. Veal farmers transported a median of 2.0 (1-21 calves) and traders 3.0 calves (1-74 calves) per transport. The median number of dairy farms per 10 transported calves was 10.0 (1.2-10 dairy farms per 10 transported calves) for transports performed by veal farmers, and 10.0 (2.5-10 dairy farms per 10 transported calves) by traders. The median transport duration was 20.0 minutes (1-330 minutes) with veal farmers and 45.0 minutes (2-414 minutes) with traders. The median available surface per calf during transport was 2 m(2) (0.4-6 m(2)) in transports by veal farmers and 0.6 m(2) (0.4-2.7 m(2)) in those by traders. No bed- ding was provided on three transports performed by veal farmers although this is prescribed by law. Intranasal vaccination against respiratory disease was performed in 7% of the 88 birth farms included in the study.