In the U.S., approximately 9 million dairy cows give birth every year, and their calves are taken away from them immediately after birth. The female calves are typically raised to replace worn out dairy cows in the milking herd, but the males are useless to the dairy industry, and so they are commonly used for veal. To produce veal, baby calves are chained by the neck in small wooden crates just two feet wide. They cannot turn around, stretch their limbs, or even lie down comfortably, and they will live in these crates for their entire lives. This severe confinement prevents the calves from exercising so their muscles cannot develop, and this keeps their meat tender.
Veal production is so cruel that it has been outlawed in other developed countries.