• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • EYES ON ANIMALS – Watching out for their Welfare
  • English
  • Nederlands
  • Deutsch

Eyes on Animals

Watching out for their Welfare

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
DONATE
  • About us
    • What we do
    • Our team
    • Key Figures
    • Our Vision
    • Contact
  • News
    • Latest news
    • Good news
    • Bad news
    • Featured news
    • Subscribe to our newsletter
  • Inspections
    • Farms
    • Markets
    • Transports
    • Slaughterhouses
    • Special projects
    • Other
  • Training
    • Police
    • Truck drivers
    • Poultry-catchers
    • Slaughter personnel
    • Training Material
    • Request a training
  • Industry Tips
    • Animal transport
      • Cattle
      • Pigs
      • Poultry
    • Slaughterhouses
      • Cattle
      • Pigs
      • Poultry
      • Ritual slaughter
    • Educational videos
  • Publications
    • In the media
      • Print
      • Television
      • Radio
      • Videos
    • Newsletters
    • Special reports
    • Training Material
    • Annual reviews
  • Help us
Home » News » No concrete improvements by VanDrie and Pali to end illegal calf-import from Ireland

No concrete improvements by VanDrie and Pali to end illegal calf-import from Ireland

March 14, 2023

In March 2022 Eyes on Animals (EonA) met with two big importers of unweaned Irish calves (2-3 weeks old): VanDrie Group and Pali Group. EonA initiated this meeting as the import of unweaned calves from Ireland involves serious violations of the Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2005. The feeding intervals for calves on this route are not respected, meaning that calves (at this age still completely dependent on milk) are transported without any food for a way too long, and illegal, period.  It is no wonder the calf sector has a very high antibiotic use – 69,1 DDDA (defined daily dosage of antibiotics) for starter calves. This is because the immune system of a calf is at its lowest when they are 2-3 weeks of age, which is exactly the age when they are exported from Ireland to the Netherlands. Calves are given antibiotics upon arrival at veal farms (even third choice antibiotics) as without such treatment many of them would die from the horrendous stress they endured during these first few weeks of life.

During the meeting VanDrie (by far the biggest importer) and Pali Group promised to take serious action. Being one year later now, we unfortunately have to conclude that they failed to keep their promises:

  • VanDrie and Pali did not yet publish a public statement disapproving the violations of the feeding intervals during the import of Irish calves.
  • VanDrie and Pali did not yet conduct any visits of the calf auctions and control posts in Ireland and in France to make sure the way their calves are being handled and fed is improved. Van Drie and Pali argued that they unfortunately did not find the time yet to conduct these visits, but still have plans to do so. 
  • VanDrie and Pali have written to the Irish authorities about the ongoing violations on the feeding-intervals, which  is slightly positive. However the Irish authorities continue to claim that there are no violations on this route, even though the European Commission, already back in 2020, confirmed there were.

EonA has been trailing Irish calves for years now. Together with L214 and Ethical Farming Ireland,  we documented inherent violations to the feeding- and resting intervals. We also documented how calves were being abused at official control posts. 

Despite all our efforts (alerting the authorities, involved parties from industry and the media) the Irish authorities continue to approve calf-exports to amongst others The Netherlands and Spain. Big parties, such as VanDrie and Pali, who continue to import calves are therefore actively and deliberately violating animal welfare requirements. 

  • share 
  • share 
  • share 
  • save 
  • email 

Filed Under: Bad news, News Tagged With: animal transport, animal welfare inspection, dairy farming, unweaned calves

Primary Sidebar

Search

Featured

Dutch transport company Van Os implicated in serious transport fraud involving Irish calves

Once again, serious violations have been uncovered in the transport of calves from Ireland. Last … [Read More...] about Dutch transport company Van Os implicated in serious transport fraud involving Irish calves

Featured

EonA talks at European Parliament in Brussels

February 19, 2025

Today we gave a talk at the European Parliament. We were invited by MEPs Anja Hazekamp and Sebastien … [Read More...] about EonA talks at European Parliament in Brussels

Our most recent newsletter

Dear friends,

It’s not every day that an animal-welfare organization takes on the challenge of redesigning a large pig slaughterhouse and their animal handling techniques, but that’s exactly what we did in 2020.

Read more…

Subscribe to our newsletter

Subscribe

* indicates required

Eyes on Animals op Twitter

eyes_on_animals Eyes on Animals @eyes_on_animals ·
14 Feb

🤔 Dit blijft toch een hele rare zin….
- NVWA schorst erkenning slachthuis na dood 22 geitenbokjes - Nieuwe Oogst

Reply on Twitter 1890485234031898798 Retweet on Twitter 1890485234031898798 5 Like on Twitter 1890485234031898798 9 Twitter 1890485234031898798
nieuweoogstnl Nieuwe Oogst @nieuweoogstnl ·
14 Feb

Vanaf volgende week verkoopt @JumboSupermarkt drie variaties plantaardige yoghurt die zijn gemaakt op basis van in Nederland geteelde sojabonen. De yoghurtvariaties zijn ontwikkeld door De Nieuwe Melkboer. #sojabonen

Reply on Twitter 1890391293144023408 Retweet on Twitter 1890391293144023408 2 Like on Twitter 1890391293144023408 2 Twitter 1890391293144023408
eyes_on_animals Eyes on Animals @eyes_on_animals ·
14 Feb

🐐🐏 Geen verrassing, dit slachthuis heeft ons ook nooit binnen willen laten en dat is meestal een veeg teken.
Goed werk @_NVWA ! #slacht

Reply on Twitter 1890334519602884612 Retweet on Twitter 1890334519602884612 26 Like on Twitter 1890334519602884612 65 Twitter 1890334519602884612
Load More...

ANBI

Footer

Donate with Paypal

Paypal Eyes on Animals
One-time donation:
Monthly donation:

Reading Material

  • In the Media
  • Newsletters
  • Special EonA reports
  • Legislative texts
  • ANBI

Our Amsterdam Office

Amsterdam House Hotel
Eyes on Animals main office is in downtown Amsterdam, at the Amsterdam House Hotel. The generous and warm-hearted hotel owner donated to Eyes on Animals, free of charge, a beautiful room where our inspectors can work, hold meetings and store their material.

Copyright © 2025 · Eyes on Animals | Website by Webkompaan