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This study aims to evaluate how rearing techniques that improve veal calf welfare affect growth performance and carcass and meat quality, by comparing both traditional rearing in individual stalls with group rearing in collective pens and exclusive milk feeding with maize grain supplementation. Eighty male calves were raised from 60 days-of-age (live weight 76.4±5.5 kg) until slaughter (at 182 and 189 days-of-age). Both group rearing and maize grain supplementation significantly improved growth performance (final live weight: +7 kg in group-reared calves compared to individually reared calves; and +10 kg in maize-supplemented calves compared to exclusively milk-fed calves) and carcass conformation, with no differences in dressing percentage. Group rearing increased blood packed cell volume value. Neither the type of housing nor the feeding system significantly modified carcass or meat colour or the main …