'Renewed interest' in bull calves

Auction prices in Cornwall have risen significantly in the past year

Cattle auctioneers in Cornwall have reported renewed interest in the sale of dairy bull calves for veal.

The export of calves to the continent stopped during the foot and mouth outbreak in 2001.

The veal market in the UK had also declined because of welfare concerns over the way calves were reared.

But with the current economic climate, the Livestock Auctioneers Association believes consumers are now turning to veal as an affordable red meat.

Chris Dodds, the association's executive secretary, said some dairy bull calves in the county were now reaching up to £80 at market - almost double the previous year's price.

'Still profitable'

In the past, dairy bull calves were often shot soon after birth because they were worth so little, but auction prices have increased significantly this year, the association said.

Veal comes from calves slaughtered at about six-months-old and mostly comes from bull calves born to dairy cows because they cannot become milkers and dairy breeds are not suited to rearing for beef.

Cornish veal farmer Jon Brown said the meat can still be profitable.

"Because it's veal, a lot of the cuts such as the offal - liver, kidney and sweetbreads - are highly prized by restaurants and we're selling a lot of that," he told BBC News.

"We're also making all our own sausages and burgers, so we're trying to sell every single part of the carcass we're allowed to."