Animal welfare activists are claiming a victory after a food competition was quietly removed from the upcoming 2024 Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) in Toronto.

The finals in the Ontario's Best Veal Sandwich competition, hosted by Ontario Veal Appeal, were set to take place on August 17 at the CNE's Celebrity Kitchen Stage but have since been removed from the schedule.

Organizers have announced that the event has been temporarily called off due to "tremendous response" and are currently seeking a new venue for the event, suggesting that a larger space is required for "containing all the excitement."

"We are currently on the hunt for a new date and location capable of containing all the excitement for our finale event," states the event website.

However, animal welfare groups are claiming that the "tremendous response" to the planned competition included a campaign of letters from organizations such as PETA, DxE Toronto, Mercy for Animals and Toronto Cow Save.

Resistance to the event has also involved phone calls from Animal Justice supporters to event organizers, and a petition calling for the event's cancellation that had over 500 signatures as of August 6.

Among those who spoke out against the event, a local farm animal sanctuary wrote a letter describing the story of two calves spared from their fate on veal farms.

While a statement on Ontario Veal Appeal's website does not mention these campaigns as a factor in the event seeking a new venue, animal welfare groups are calling the announcement from organizers a win.

Jenny McQueen, a local animal rights activist and co-organizer of the campaign to have the event cancelled, stated that "the dairy and veal industry are trying hard to convince the public that veal doesn't come from baby animals, yet calves are just five to seven months old when slaughtered."

McQueen describes conditions on veal farms as grim, saying, "there's a heatwave in Ontario, and the young calves were sweltering inside [plastic hutches], pining for their mothers. The suffering is unbearable."

Meanwhile, the competition has been featured heavily on The Food Network, showing Canadian comedian John Catucci explaining the competition rules while preparing a veal sandwich.

If the event is indeed cancelled as opponents are claiming, it would be just the latest hiccup in a competition that debuted in 2016, with events in 2018 and 2019 before a hiatus until 2022. However, the competition did not return in 2023, and 2024 was supposed to be just the fourth event in its nine-year history.