WASHINGTON – Eating veal – or not eating it, to be more accurate – is one thing many carnivores and vegetarians can agree on. For most, the methods used to produce tender, milky-colored meat aren’t a worthwhile trade-off. But what if eating veal were no less ethical than eating pork, chicken or lamb? What if, under the right circumstances, eating veal were actually more ethical than shunning it?

This is not that veal: the mostly flavorless meat from calves raised in crates so small they can’t turn around. Humanely raised veal – sometimes called pasture-raised, sometimes called rose veal because of its color – comes from calves that drank their mother’s milk and ate pasture grass. Its producers argue that if male calves, an otherwise useless byproduct of the dairy industry, are not ethically raised for meat, they are sold to less-humane veal producers or destroyed.

The new veal is delicate in taste compared with beef and, because the animals graze on pasture, is leaner than veal from calves raised in crates. But it is fast winning fans. Demand is growing so quickly that even industrial producers are jumping into the market. In 2008, Strauss Brands, one of the country’s largest producers, began selling pasture-raised veal. Already, its trademarked Free Raised meat makes up about 20 percent of veal sales.

Producers make their case by methodically tackling what they see as myths about how calves must be raised. For example, one common consumer complaint is that the animals are killed so young. But veal calves are in fact older than chickens, turkeys and pigs and about the same age as lambs when they are slaughtered. The so-called traditional way of raising calves, where the animals are kept in small crates and fed industrial “milk replacement,” is in fact a post-World War II invention; farmers moved calves indoors to save time and space. Most important, dairy cows must give birth to provide milk. Their male calves are unsuitable for beef production and too costly to keep on the farm. “It’s a resource that needs to be utilized,” said Nancy Pritchard, who raises calves at Smith Meadows Farm in Berryville, Va. Or to put it more bluntly, as producer Sandy Miller of Painted Hand Farm in Newburg, Pa., does: If you consume dairy, you should eat veal.

The renaissance of humanely raised veal is driven in part by small farmers who embrace old-fashioned animal husbandry and see veal as an extra revenue stream. But it also has been spurred by the success of animal rights campaigns and the resulting collapse in demand for veal.

In 1944, Americans ate 8.6 pounds of veal per person annually, according to Agriculture Department figures. In 2004, the latest year for which data are available, consumption had fallen to less than half a pound. It hasn’t topped one pound per person since 1988.

“In the 1960s, no one thought they were doing anything wrong. It was the way the world was evolving,” said Randy Strauss, co-owner of Franklin, Wis.-based Strauss Brands. “When the animal welfare movement came along, we as an industry challenged ourselves. But no one could, for lack of better expression, think outside the box.” An increase in the price of whey was another factor that encouraged a new vision.

In 2001, Strauss began investigating ways of raising veal more humanely. The best turned out to be old-fashioned methods. The calves that are used for Strauss’ free-raised veal, a French breed named Limousin, are given no hormones or antibiotics. The animals are not raised in confinement and live their whole lives with their mothers on open pasture. The meat is classified as pasture-raised by the USDA.

Strauss Brands also raises Holstein calves for veal that is not sold as Free Raised. As of December 2008, though, those calves are no longer confined in crates but are “group-raised” in a barn with six to eight other calves. Other large veal producers are also changing their practices.

In May 2007, the American Veal Association passed a resolution committing to move all animals to group housing by 2017. At the time, less than 5 percent of veal calves were being raised that way. Two years later, 35 percent were being raised in groups.

The concept of humanely raised veal is new in the United States. But the trend is well-established in Britain, which banned animal crate systems in 1990.

In 2006, celebrity chefs including Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall championed a Good Veal campaign, which argued that eating humanely raised British veal prevented the calves from being either shipped to continental Europe, where animal-welfare standards can be less strict, or killed shortly after birth.

Logic and a little bit of chauvinism spurred sales: The week after “The F Word,” chef Gordon Ramsay’s popular television program, aired an episode about British veal, sales at grocer Waitrose jumped 45 percent, according to a British newspaper.

There is no standard label for humanely raised veal. Some small farmers are following the Europeans and calling their meat “rose veal,” though according to USDA definitions, rose veal could be fed milk replacement and grain. Smith Meadows calls it “free-range.” Whole Foods stores label their meat, which comes from Virginia, “local pasture-raised.”

Whatever you call it, cooking this kind of veal requires some care. Because the animal eats grass and is permitted to roam, the meat is lean and can dry out easily, chefs say. The chops and loin can be roasted; the shoulder and breast, as well as the shank, from which the famous Italian dish osso buco is made, are best braised.

“I think it’s really tasty,” said Bart Vandaele, chef-owner of Belga Cafe on Capitol Hill, one of 16 chefs who attended a tasting of Strauss veal last month. “Customers are more educated, and they want better food. This is the way food is going.”

Baked Veal ‘Involtini’ with Grilled Radicchio

4 servings

MAKE AHEAD: The sauce can be made, covered and refrigerated 2 days in advance.

For the sauce:

1/4 cup olive oil

4 medium garlic cloves, minced

24 ounces peeled whole tomatoes, plus their juices

2 sprigs thyme

8 basil leaves

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

For the veal and vegetables:

1 1/2 pounds top round of veal

12 ounces eggplant

1 head (8-ounce) radicchio, cut in half and cored

6 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

4 slices smoked mozzarella (scamorza), cut into 1/4 -inch-thick slices

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Handful of baby arugula, for garnish (optional)

For the sauce: Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fragrant.

Add the tomatoes and their juices, thyme and basil; mix well. Once the mixture starts to bubble at the edges, season with salt and pepper to taste, then cover and cook for 30 minutes, stirring once or twice. Use a food mill to process the sauce, discarding the solids. The yield should be about 3 cups. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

For the veal and vegetables: Cut the meat into four 6-ounce portions; place each one between pieces of plastic wrap. Use a mallet to pound each portion to an even thickness of 1/8 inch. Discard the plastic wrap.

Heat a grill pan on the stovetop over high heat.

Meanwhile, cut four 1/4 -inch slices lengthwise from the center section of the eggplant and peel them (reserving the remaining eggplant for another use, if desired).

Combine the sliced eggplant, radicchio, 4 tablespoons of the oil and the vinegar in a mixing bowl; toss to coat evenly. Season with salt and pepper on all sides. Grill the vegetables for a total of 8 minutes, turning them over halfway through. Transfer to a cutting board to cool.

When cool enough to handle, cut the radicchio and eggplant into thin strips, then place on a plate and cover loosely until ready to use.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly season the pounded veal slices with salt and pepper on both sides.

Use one-quarter of the grilled radicchio and eggplant strips to create a layer on top of each piece of pounded veal, then place one slice of the smoked mozzarella on top of the vegetable layer. Roll up tightly and use toothpicks to secure both ends, or the middle, of each “involtino.“

Heat a large, ovenproof saute pan over medium heat, then add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the 4 involtini to the pan and cook for 4 minutes, turning them as needed, until lightly browned.

Pour the reserved tomato sauce evenly over the involtini to cover them, then sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese. Transfer to the oven and bake for 12 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the sauce has thickened slightly.

If desired, cut each involtino in half, then stand the halves on end on the plate.

Garnish with tender stems of baby arugula, if desired. Serve hot.