Decree of January 20, 1994 establishing minimum standards for the protection of calves

This Decree establishes the minimum standards relating to the protection of calves kept for breeding and fattening purposes.

For the purposes of this Decree, "calf" means an animal of the bovine species aged less than six months.

1. All newly built, rebuilt, or first-time operational installations must meet the following minimum requirements

when calves are housed in groups, they must have sufficient free space to allow them to turn around and lie down without constraint and a surface area of at least 1.5 square meters per calf with a live weight of 150 kilograms;

when calves are housed in individual pens or tethered in stalls, the pens or stalls must have perforated walls and their width must not be less than either 90 centimeters plus or minus 10 per cent, or 0.80 times the height at the withers.

The use of the aforementioned installations is authorized until 31 December 2006.

2. The provisions set out in paragraph 1 do not apply to

holdings with fewer than six calves;

calves kept with their mothers for suckling.

3. The use of installations built before the date of publication of this Order in the Official Journal of the French Republic and which do not satisfy the requirements of paragraph 1 is authorized until 31 December 2003.

All facilities constructed, reconstructed, or brought into service for the first time as of 1 January 1998 must meet the following requirements

- no calf shall be confined in an individual pen after the age of eight weeks, unless a veterinarian certifies that its health condition or behavior requires it to be isolated for specific treatment. The width of any individual pen shall be at least equal to the size of the calf at the withers, measured when standing, and the length shall be at least equal to the length of the calf measured between the tip of the nose and the caudal face of the tuber ischii (pin bone), multiplied by 1.1.

All individual pens for calves (with the exception of those intended for the isolation of sick animals) must have perforated walls allowing direct visual and tactile contact between the calves;

- for group-housed calves, the space allotted for each calf shall be at least 1.5 square meters for each calf with a live weight below 150 kilograms, at least 1.7 square meters for each calf with a live weight above 150 kilograms but below 220 kilograms, and at least 1.8 square meters for each calf with a live weight above 220 kilograms.

The provisions of this Article shall not apply

- to holdings with fewer than six calves;

- to calves kept with their mother for suckling.

Beyond the time limits laid down in Article 3, point 1, last paragraph, and Article 3, point 3, the conditions set out in Article 3 bis shall apply to all holdings.

Conditions relating to the rearing of calves must comply with the general provisions set out in the annex to this decree.

The Director-General for Food, the Director for Farms, Social Policy and Employment, and the Director for Production and Trade at the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries shall be responsible, each within his sphere of competence, for the enforcement of this decree, which shall be published in the Official Gazette of the French Republic.

1. Materials used for the construction of housing, and in particular pens and equipment, with which calves may come into contact, must not be harmful to the calves and must be capable of being thoroughly cleaned and disinfected.

2. The insulation, heating and ventilation of the building must be such that air circulation, dust level, temperature, relative air humidity and gas concentrations are maintained within limits that are not detrimental to the calves.

3. All automatic or mechanical equipment essential for the health and welfare of the calves must be inspected at least once a day. Any defects found must be rectified immediately or, if this is impossible, appropriate measures must be taken to protect the health and welfare of the calves until the repair is effected, including the use of alternative feeding methods and the maintenance of a satisfactory environment.

Where an artificial ventilation system is used, an appropriate back-up system must be provided to guarantee sufficient air renewal to preserve the health and welfare of the calves in case of system failure, and an alarm system must be provided to warn the stock-keeper of the failure. The alarm system must be tested regularly.

4. Calves must not be kept in permanent darkness. To this end, in order to meet their behavioral and physiological needs, appropriate natural or artificial lighting must be provided which, in the latter case, must be at least equivalent to the duration of natural light normally available between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. In addition, appropriate lighting (fixed or mobile) of sufficient intensity to enable the calves to be inspected at any time must be available.

5. All housed calves must be inspected by the owner or the person responsible for the animals at least twice a day. Any calf that appears ill or injured must be given appropriate care without delay. Sick or injured calves must, where necessary, be isolated in adequate premises equipped with dry and comfortable bedding. A veterinarian should be consulted as soon as possible if the calves do not respond to the stock-keeper’s care.

6. Housing must be designed so as to allow each calf to lie down, rest, stand up and groom without difficulty.

7. Without prejudice to the provisions of Article 3 of the aforementioned Decree of January 20, 1994, calves shall not be tethered, with the exception of calves housed in groups, which may be tethered for periods of one hour at most at the time of feeding milk or milk replacer. When calves are tethered, the tether must not injure them and must be inspected regularly and adjusted if necessary for their comfort. Any tether must be designed so as to avoid the risk of strangulation or injury and to allow the animal to move in accordance with point 6.

8. Premises, pens, equipment and utensils used for calves must be cleaned and disinfected appropriately to prevent cross-contamination and the spread of disease vectors. Faeces, urine, and uneaten or spilt food must be removed as often as possible to reduce odors and avoid attracting flies or rodents.

9. Floors must be non-slip but without sharp edges to prevent calves from injuring themselves and must be designed so as not to cause injury or suffering to calves standing or lying down. They must be suitable for the size and weight of the calves and constitute a rigid, level, and stable surface. The lying area must be comfortable, clean, and properly drained and must not be detrimental to the calves. Appropriate bedding must be provided for all calves under two weeks of age.

10. All calves must receive a diet appropriate to their age and weight, taking into account their behavioral and physiological needs to promote good health and welfare. To this end, the diet must contain sufficient iron to ensure an average blood hemoglobin level of at least 4.5 mmol/liter of blood and a minimum daily ration of fibrous feed for each calf over two weeks of age, this amount to be increased from 50 to 250 grams per day for calves from eight to twenty weeks of age. Calves must not be muzzled.

11. All calves must be fed at least twice a day. Where calves are housed in a group and do not benefit from ad libitum feeding or an automatic feeding system, each calf must have access to the food at the same time as the other animals in the group.

12. Calves over two weeks of age must have access to adequate fresh water, supplied in sufficient quantity, or be able to satisfy their fluid needs by drinking other beverages. However, when the weather is very hot or when calves are sick, fresh drinking water must be available at all times.

13. Feeding and watering equipment must be designed, constructed, installed and maintained in such a way as to limit the risks of contamination of the food and water intended for the calves.