Calf Welfare Requirements

Issued pursuant to Section 10,
Clause 1 of the Animal Protection Law

I. General Provisions

1. These Regulations prescribe the welfare requirements for the keeping of those calves which are not more than six months old, as well as the rights and obligations of the persons keeping calves.

2. The supervision and control of the observance of these Regulations shall be ensured by the Food and Veterinary Service.

II. Requirements for Keeping of Calves

3. Calves shall not be tethered in their holdings. Muzzles shall not be placed on calves.

4. Calves kept in groups during time of feeding may be tethered for a time not exceeding one hour.

5. Material used for tethers for calves shall be selected so as not to cause injury to the animal, shall be of sufficient length so as not to hinder standing up, lying down and the intake of feed. If calves are tied up, they shall be regularly checked and the tether put in order.

6. After the age of eight weeks calves shall not be kept in individual pens, except in cases prescribed by a practising veterinarian, when it is necessary to isolate calves due to health or behavioural reasons.

[15 May 2007]

7. Calves immediately after their birth, however, not later than within a six-hour period, shall be provided with colostrum.

8. Calves from two weeks of age shall be ensured with fresh water in amount appropriate to the physiological needs of calves. Sick calves, as well as calves during hot weather shall have permanent access to fresh water.

9. Calves shall be fed at least two times a day with feed appropriate to their age, weight, behavioural and physiological needs. Feed:

9.1. shall contain the necessary iron quantity in order to ensure the average haemoglobin level of at least 4.5 mmol/l for calves, which are more than two weeks of age; and

9.2. shall be digestible dry feed rich in fibrous material. The amount of fibrous material for calves aged from eight to twenty weeks shall be increased from 50 to 250 grams.

9.¹ Calves from two weeks of age shall be ensured with compound feed, which is intended as a feed supplement for feeding calves.

[15 May 2007]

10. Calves kept in groups shall be provided simultaneous access to feed, except for cases where they are fed utilising a suckling or an automatic feeding method.

III. Requirements for Calf Holdings

11. [15 May 2007].

12. [15 May 2007].

13. [15 May 2007].

14. [15 May 2007].

15. Housing for a calf shall be provided with lighting for not less than eight hours per twenty-four hours.

16. [15 May 2007].

17. Accommodation for calves:

17.1. shall be kept dry, utilising bedding harmless to the health of animals;

17.2. shall be constructed so as to allow the animals freedom of standing up, lying down, having a rest and being able to see one another; and

17.3. shall be ensured with appropriate bedding for all calves, which are less than two weeks old.

18. The floors of housing shall:

18.1. have the requisite mechanical strength;

18.2. be smooth and not slippery so as to prevent injury to calves; and

18.3. be easy to clean and disinfect.

19. Individual pens, except for pens in which ill calves are put, shall be constructed:

19.1. with perforated side walls to ensure visual and scent contact with animals in the adjacent pens;

19.2. at a certain height which is not lower than the height of the withers of the animal housed in the pen, when standing; and

19.3. at a certain length which is not less than the length of the animal housed in the pen (measuring from the nose of the animal to the tail-bone and multiplying the figure produced by 1.1).

20. Calves kept in groups shall be provided with the following area, for each according to its weight:

20.1. for a calf of weight not exceeding 150 kg - not less than 1.5 m²;

20.2. for a calf of weight of between 150 and 220 kg - not less than 1.7 m²; and

20.3. for a calf of weight of 220 kg and more - not less than 1.8 m²

21. (Null and void as of 1 January 2007, see Paragraph 30).

22. [15 May 2007].

IV. Rights and Obligations of a Person Keeping Calves

23. A person keeping calves has the right:

23.1. to receive veterinary medical care of the animals;

23.2. to obtain an opinion on the state of health of the calves or of the cause of their death; and

23.3. to request a written confirmation of a practising veterinarian regarding veterinary medical activities performed with the calves and their results.

24. [15 May 2007]

25. Calves kept in a housing shall be inspected not less than two times every twenty-four hours while calves kept outside a housing, at least once daily.

26. [15 May 2007].

27. [15 May 2007].

28. [15 May 2007].

V. Closing Provisions

29. [15 May 2007].

30. Paragraph 21 of these Regulations shall be in force until 31 December 2006.

30.¹ The requirements specified by Paragraphs 4, 5, 6, 18, 19 and 25 of these Regulations shall not apply to a free keeping system, when calves are kept with a suckler cow.

[15 May 2007]

31. Cabinet Regulation No. 55 of 6 February 2001, Calf Welfare Requirements (Latvijas Vēstnesis 2001, No. 23; 2002, No. 26) is repealed.

Informative Reference to European Union Directives

[15 May 2007]

These Regulations contain legal norms arising from:

1) Council Directive 91/629/EEK of 19 November 1991 laying down minimum standards for the protection of calves; and

2) Council Directive 97/2/EC of 20 January 1997 amending Directive 91/629/EEC laying down minimum standards for the protection of calves.

Prime Minister E. Repše

Minister for Agriculture M. Roze

Translation © 2009 Valsts valodas centrs (State Language Centre)