crate-veal is an abomination, however “red” veal that comes from male calves from dairy stock are not only raised similarly to all cattle, but also an important way to avoid killing male cattle when born for dairy farmers. Most Canadian veal is red veal from farmers who don’t crate or individually shelter cattle for veal, and many have the calves pasture with their mothers in the summer months. The problem, of course, is how difficult this is to find (or even identify) in a grocery store, so unless you have a local, knowledgable butcher who understands this stuff, your only real option is to avoid veal.
(Random plug for Toronto folk: The Healthy Butcher specifically sells only pasture-raised, dairy red veal. Highly recommended.)
