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Veal is the Meat of young calves, specifically the male offspring of Dairy cattle, and is appreciated for its delicate taste, tender texture and nutritious qualities. Dairy cows must give birth annually to continue producing milk naturally, but male dairy calves are of little value to dairy farmers except as meat. Veal is often associated with Italian, French, German cuisines, as well as cuisines of other middle-European countries. North American consumers tend to prepare veal dishes for special occasions only.
A health risk which has come to be associated with modern veal farming is that of drug residues in veal. Less ethical farmers have been known to compensate for stressful, unhealthy living conditions by administering tranquilising medication and high levels of antibiotics to the calves. Another ethical gray area is the administering of growth hormones to calves in order to produce more meat.
In practice, living conditions for veal calves vary greatly, with many modern farms providing clean, well-lit and -ventilated environments, with enough room for calves to stand, stretch, groom themselves and lay down in a natural position. As veal calves are typically at risk of becoming anaemic-resulting in weakness and loss of appetite-modern farmers also often feed calves a carefully controlled, iron-rich diet.