The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) says producers and livestock owners should take note about the upcoming changes to Ohio’s livestock care standards.

Effective Jan. 1, veal calves must be housed in group pens by 10 weeks of age. Additionally, whether housed in individual stalls or group pens the calves must be allowed to turn around and cannot be tethered. Also effective Jan. 1, tail docking on dairy cattle can only be performed by a licensed veterinarian and only if medically necessary.

The above changes were recommended by the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board, a group of 13 members from farming, veterinary, academic, food safety, animal care and consumer interest backgrounds tasked with annually reviewing the standards and recommending any appropriate changes to ODA. The changes were submitted by ODA and ultimately approved by the Ohio legislature’s Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review.

Ohio’s livestock care standards were implemented after Ohioans overwhelmingly passed State Issue 2 in November 2009. The constitutional amendment required the state to establish comprehensive livestock care standards, established in rules by the Ohio Department of Agriculture.

Source: Ohio Department of Agriculture