In January, I wrote about how Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) was promoting veal. Well, they're still doing that, and now they're joined by none other than the RSPCA.

Let's deconstruct:

In "Eat British Veal With a Clear Conscience, says RSPCA," the "food business manager" for CIWF, Ms. Rowen West-Henzell, says "Veal shouldn't be a dirty word. There's a process of re-education that needs to occur. British rose veal is something we are happy to endorse." British rose veal is also known as "high-welfare veal."

Yes . . . high-welfare veal. I'm not even sure why they would call it "high welfare." They're not fed the traditional restricted diet, but so what?

Male dairy calves are known as "waste products" and are either shot at birth or made into "veal." I'm still not sure where there's any kind of welfare consideration. Instead of shooting them now, they kill them later? Is that the welfare part?

West-Henzell says: ""Over the next year we will be promoting the consumption of rose veal as a way of dealing with the problem of wasted bull calves." Call me crazy, but if you want to stop "producing" bull calves that end up "wasted," there's a quick and easy solution: Stop using cows for their milk so their kids have to be ripped away from them, tortured and slaughtered.

Finally, PETA injects some sanity into the discussion with: "While the plan is well-intentioned, the answer to saving calves from long-distance transport, confinement in cruel, tiny crates, and slaughter soon after birth doesn't lie in encouraging consumers to eat more British meat . . . Anyone who is concerned about the welfare of veal calves should dump dairy and go vegan."

Now if they could only say that about eggs . . .

I also question how "well-intentioned" the plan is. It's a business plan "intended" to reduce "waste" and increase profit, which is all plainly stated. It's an insult to our intelligence to claim that the "welfare" of the young calves is a priority.