Separating calves from their mothers
In Belgium, calves are currently separated from their mothers at birth. GAIA is calling for calves to be allowed to remain with their mothers at least until the age of three months.
Transport
Calves are currently transported to collection centres within two weeks of birth. GAIA is calling for this transport to take place as late as possible – no earlier than three months of age.
Housing
Calves are currently confined in individual housing for a period of two to eight weeks. GAIA is calling for calves always to be housed in groups, with outdoor access (pasture) suited to their ethological needs.
GAIA is not alone in calling for progress.
In a 2023 report, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) recommended several improvements in farming conditions and in the duration of contact between cows and calves.
An essential transition
For GAIA, the most coherent response to the structural abuses of the dairy industry is clear: we must end the consumption of animal-derived milk.
Dietary habits are already changing, but this shift must be actively supported by public authorities, especially through rigorous and independent information and stronger support for plant-based alternatives.
Consumers have the right to know the reality of dairy production. GAIA therefore calls for honest, complete and transparent information, including in schools and the media, where dairy products are still too often promoted in an abusive, biased and misleading way.
Finally, GAIA calls for an end to public policies that support and fund the promotion of milk.
Other farming practices are possible
In Norway and Sweden, many organic farmers allow calves to remain with their mothers for periods ranging from one to thirteen weeks. In the Netherlands, some farmers allow calves to stay with nurse cows for several weeks or even several months.
These examples clearly show that alternatives to immediate separation already exist, and that concrete improvements in the living conditions of calves born into the industry are not only desirable, but entirely achievable.
