The ISPCA is shocked and angered by undercover footage of the treatment of vulnerable young calves captured by RTÉ Investigates and broadcast on “Milking It: Dairy’s Dirty Secret”.
Some of the cruel handling filmed in Irish and European marts and shown on the programme was absolutely unacceptable, both morally and legally. We welcome the condemnation of this behaviour by the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society (ICOS), and the commitment by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) to launch an investigation into breaches of animal welfare regulations. It is essential that any investigation is robust and thorough, and it is clearly shown that such ill-treatment of animals will not be tolerated.
We also call on the Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue and his officials to ensure that all companies authorised by DAFM to transport livestock to other countries are evaluated for compliance with transit regulations. Any transport company, as well as any individuals, found to be in breach of regulations should be penalised robustly.
The ISPCA is calling for a complete reassessment of the dairy model in Ireland. The rapid and unsustainable expansion of the Irish dairy herd over recent years, combined with an emphasis on a compact calving pattern, has resulted in an increase in the industry’s waste product, i.e. male calves which are of no use to the industry, especially during certain months of the year. The resultant treatment of these animals, as shown in the programme, is beyond horrendous.
In the first half of 2023, over 195,000 calves were exported from Ireland, up 20% from the same time period in 2022 and up 47% from the same time period in 2021. The ISPCA believes that the treatment of many Irish calves, both in Ireland and during transport abroad, is damaging to the reputation of the Irish dairy industry, and the reputation of the country generally. Based on the evidence in the RTE programme, a small open Island economy, such as Ireland, is far from being the exemplar that it should be
