The number of male calves being slaughtered after birth is on the rise, despite efforts to eradicate the practice, known by the dairy industry as ‘the dirty secret’.

An analysis conducted by the Guardian showed that it costs  farmer up to £30 per calf to sell it on for beef or veal, while it only costs £9 to kill the animal. Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) figures revealed that 95,000 calves are killed on UK farms, as more and more farmers are seemingly compelled to cut costs.

Dairy farms have no need for male calves after the female cow has begun lactation, and as such farmers are left with only a few options.

Farmers can dispose of the calf immediately after birth, sell it to be raised for veal or beef, or sell it for live export. Recently, some farms have experimented with keeping male calves with their mothers for longer, but this seems to be the most costly option of all.

Early disposal is seen as the most cost-effective option, despite its negative appeal. Calves shot on the farm are sent to licensed incinerators or sold to kennels to produce dogfood. These calves cannot enter the human food supply chain.

Dairy farmers in the UK have been pressured to cut costs for the last twenty years. Livestock Auctioneers’ Association (LAA) spokesperson Chris Dodds said: “Some farmers might do the maths and figure out after rearing, transport and time away from the farm it might not add up.”

The AHDB figure is said to represent 19% of male dairy calves born. In 2013, the number fell to 13% from a previous record high of 21% but  it can be difficult to find accurate statistics, as farmers are not required to register births of calves slaughtered in the first couple of days.

One anonymous dairy farmer told the Guardian: “This year we’re shooting the Jersey crosses, because we’ve not got the space or money to keep them. It doesn’t make me feel good. We get the knackerman out to do it. I could never do it. I can’t even feed them if I know they are going to be dead in a few days.”

Another said: “I shoot black and white bull calves [the Holstein Friesian breed that predominates in the UK dairy sector], but am still not hardened to like doing it. We have too many calves here. The space available on the farm [an 800-cow dairy herd] is only suitable for a maximum of 80. The less calves I have the better for the overall farm. This is a business and it has to be financially viable to make it worthwhile.”

A Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) report showed that more than £100m in potential economic value was being wasted by killing calves before their prime.

National Farmers’ unio (NFU) dairy advisor Siân Davies warned that Brexit could be another obstacle to finding a market for male calves, saying: “A trade deal that allows cheap beef from countries with lower standards of production will most definitely damage many of the positive initiatives that have been developed over recent years to utilise dairy bull calf beef and veal within the UK market.”