Consumers worried about supporting farms with inhumane practices may look for these brands and labels, which designate dairy producers that comply with the ASPCA's standards. Couto's Miami-based Animal Recovery Mission released video last week showing calves at Fair Oaks being thrown into their huts, hit and kicked in the head, dragged by the ears and burned with . On June 12, however, new footage was released by Animal Recovery Mission (ARM) purportedly showing Fair Oaks workers punching adult cows, hitting them with metal poles and allegedly breaking the tails of some cows which did not cooperate with employees. Organic dairy farms must also allow their cows to be able to graze outside. Pittsburgh woman missing for 31 years found alive in Puerto Rico, Alex Murdaugh found guilty of murders of wife and son. Footage shows Fair Oaks Farms workers dragging calves by their ears, throwing them into small plastic enclosures and hitting them with milk bottles. FAIR OAKS Fair Oaks Farms founder Mike McCloskey says he was unaware calves were being sold to the veal industry, citing a lack of communica. Warning: the video is very disturbing. Conventionally raised cows may spend the majority of their lives in pens or inside barns in cramped quarters. And I watched the video, said Diane Mason, a reader from Melbourne, Florida, who reached out to the Tribune by email Thursday. The video was brought to the attention of The Indiana State Board of Animal Health on Tuesday through social media, news stories and concerned citizens, according to Denise Derrer, the board's public information director. Fair Oaks Farms owner Mike McCloskey released this statement to WPTV on Wednesday, calling the workers' actions despicable: "This morning I was made aware of an animal abuse video that. "None of them have ever seen anything close to what was depicted on the video, even when performing their duties in the calf areas.". "The employees featured in the video exercised a complete and total disregard for the documented training that all employees go through to ensure the comfort, safety and well-being of our animals.". Jewel-Osco is also dropping Fairlife from its more than 180 stores, including in Dyer, Chesterton and Munster. Fairlife's 2021 stewardship report said it spent more than $8 million on supporting animal welfare standards at its suppliers and exploring new methods and technologies to improve animal care.. Coca-Cola buys Fairlife, impressed by brand's response to animal abuse @CocaCola needs to end this partnership & @fairlife needs to take action on there workers and this situation. #boycottfairlife. Coca-Cola, which initially owned a minority position in the Fairlife brand through a joint venture with Select Milk Producers,acquired the remaining stakein 2020. One exception is Chobani, which last week said it was ending the production of its Chobani Ultra-Filtered Milk,which launched in February. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. A cemetery posted a personal ad for a goose whose mate died. Advancements in reproductive technology have led to more calves being born on farms today, and most conventionally raised cows are now fed a diet of grain versus grass. You have permission to edit this article. The cases were filed after non-profit animal welfare group Animal Recovery Mission released videos from an undercover investigation of Fair Oaks Farms showing animals being mistreated, which . The organization also noticed a surge of interest this week in its nearly 3-year-old Fair Oaks investigation. Since the video's widespread release showing young calves being abused by Fair Oaks Farms employees, Strack & Van Til, Jewel-Osco and Family Express announced they are pulling Fairlife products from its shelves. Yet many farmers argue that it's in their best interest to treat their animals humanely. On June 4, 2019, ARM released disturbing footage of one of its most grueling factory farm investigations. Its signature product is a form of ultrafiltered milk that has more protein and less sugar than traditional milk. In early 2019, an investigator from the animal rights organization Animal Recovery Mission (ARM) went undercover by getting a job as a milker at Fair Oaks Farms in Indiana, which supplies milk to Fairlife (among other companies), according to the organization. Fair Oaks Farms is the largest dairy farm in Indiana with 37,000 cows, TODAY reported. But unless a farm is certified organic meaning that farmers must abide by strict legal standards when it comes to the care, breeding and feeding of animals it can be difficult to determine exactly how animals are treated on any property. The farm, which still has a. Members worked as employees while wearing a hidden camera. "Since then, we have taken vigilant, unwavering steps to actively monitor all human-animal interaction 24 hours a day by installing cameras throughout our farms, and bolstered these efforts with hiring an on-site animal welfare expert and conducting regular third-party audits to confirm our monitoring practices, to ensure we havent overlooked anything," the company said. "We have staff in the farm sites regularly," she said. In addition, Fairlife said they are immediately suspending milk deliveries from the dairy identified in the video. ", "Going undercover in the dairy industry, we always find the same crimes committed against the animals," he said. Ditching dairy is not only a good move for animal welfare, but also for the environment. Fairlife said the company is taking this incident very seriously. In a statement, the company said the dairy production seen in the video makes up less than 5% of Fairlife's milk supply, however in light of the footage's findings, the company will be putting its other dairy sources under a magnifying glass. "This is rare," Couto said. The fifth person is a truck driver who works for a third party. He said on Friday, ARM will release another video he described as an hour and a half of consistent abuse.. "Weve always known that the better you treat an animal, the happier and more productive she is," Fair Oaks Farms founder and owner Mike McCloskey said in a 2015 article. Dead calves were dumped in mass grave sites by employees, the video shows. But that number is rapidly declining, with thousands of smaller dairy farms closing for business over the past two decades. To protest dairys exploitation and unfair treatment of cows (as well as the industrys high methane emissions) the first step is to stop buying dairy products. On Tuesday, the sheriff's office disclosed the suspects' names. Fairlife is aware of the lawsuit and, in a statement provided to TODAY, said: "We are aware of the lawsuit and are reviewing it. Slashing Methane Emissions by 45 Percent Is Crucial to Avoid Climate Catastrophe and Easy, Says UN Report. 2-year-old animal abuse video goes viral again, renewing calls to Fair Oaks Farms said five people in the video were identified and four of them are employees at the farm. Fairlife has since "discontinued the use of milk from Fair Oaks Farms" in its products. One of my friends on Facebook shared it. We have been flooded with emails to ask if we are still undercover with the dairy industry and asking about Fair Oaks Farms. It is our position that any companies that come in contact with transportation of our animals, should be well-versed in and adhere to our industry's animal welfare practices which can be found in FARM. USDA has full confidence that Indiana state and local authorities will investigate this particular case and take appropriate action. Check out our guides to the most eco-friendly non-dairy milks, the best non-dairy milks for baking, pea milk, pistachio milk, and oat milk. ", "Defendants preyed on consumer desire for dairy products sourced from farms that ensure high levels of animal welfare by making animal welfare claims a central tenet of their labeling campaign," one of the lawsuits alleges. The video circulating is from two years ago at one of our former supplying farms, Lisa Lecas, a Fairlife spokeswoman, said in an email Thursday. Family Express CEO and founder Gus Olympidis was honored for his distinguished 44-year career in the convenience store business. And, when cows died of sickness, their dead bodies were dumped outside out of the view of those attending Fair Oaks Dairy Adventure tours; and once cows could no longer produce milk, they were sent to slaughter for meat or dog food. I have personally reached out to ARM's founder, Richard Couto, to discuss a more symbiotic relationship but he has yet to reach back. FAIR OAKS A second video has been released by undercover animal welfare investigators Friday afternoon, showing what the groups says is "an . Subscribe to Food Dive for top news, trends & analysis, The free newsletter covering the top industry headlines, OCHO Candy Launches New Plant-Based Caramel Line, Pregis Performance Flexibles Facilities Are ISCC PLUS Certified, METER Group Food Scientists to Present New Research on Powdered Foods, By signing up to receive our newsletter, you agree to our, By Times staff writers Joseph S. Pete and Anna Ortiz contributed to this report. While the review came back favorable, I am not letting my guard down and will institute more thorough monitoring and training so that this abuse can never happen again. A Crown Point woman has filed new claims that she has been harmed by animal cruelty at Fair Oaks Farms. According to the USDA, cows raised on organic farms may not be given growth hormones of any type. FAIR OAKS The Newton County Sheriff's Department has requested the names of former Fair Oaks Farms employees shown abusing young calves in a video released by an animal rights. Couto said the next video will allegedly show conversations the undercover investigator had with management acknowledging animal abuse. Still, a 2021 report from the World Animal Protection and Compassion in World Farming found many food companies are not doing enough to prioritize animal welfare. McCloskey has since announced changes in operations, including having an animal welfare expert on staff, installing cameras to monitor employees in contact with animals and having frequent, third-party audits performed on the farm. Fair Oaks Farms representatives said Saturday no other incidents have happened since the videos were released in 2019. Fair Oaks Farm is partnering with a dairy cooperative and Coca-Cola to launch Fairlife, a cold-filtered milk that has more protein and calcium and no lactose. All Rights Reserved. But conventionally raised cows may be given both growth hormones and antibiotics, regardless of whether they are sick. ARMs Fairlife investigation proved that there is no way to truly know what is happening behind a farm's closed doors. "We have been in contact with Fairlife about this situation and have full confidence in their management team to urgently address this issue with Fair Oaks Farms, which is a third-party supplier to Fairlife," Coca-Cola said in a statement. "We are currently putting actions into place to ensure that this never happens again. Operation Fair Oaks Farms Dairy Adventure | ARM Investigations The investigator also noted that in his entire time on the job, the cows received zero medical care, despite many of them suffering from visible injuries and infections. And when mother cows can no longer lactate, they are of no value to farms so the only financially viable solution is to send them to slaughter. "This is hardly the response you would expect from an organization that gets it. I also take full responsibility to correct and ensure that every employee understands, embraces and practices the core values on which our organization stands. | 11 a.m. Authorities have arrested one of three people charged with animal cruelty following the release of video showing workers kicking and throwing young calves at a northwestern Indiana dairy . Fair Oaks Farms reports no further incidents following reemergence of None of Fairlife's farms are certified organic but shortly after the company (which was founded by a veterinarian) was formed in partnership with the Coca-Cola Company in 2012, it frequently advertised itself as spoiling its cows and adhering to a higher standard of animal care through sustainable farming practices. One of those men has since been apprehended and arrested. The case was opened following the release of a video by Animal . The group, which promotes plant-based lifestyles, said that the footage was taken by an undercover investigator who recorded the animal abuse in 2018 while working at Fair Oaks Farms, which. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Fortunately, there are endless options when it comes to non-dairy milk, chocolate milk, yogurt, protein shakes, and more. And if you want to take further action, ARM's website has several suggestions for how to get involved. I am and will continue to be deeply involved in the resolution of this matter, down to every one of our employees, so that I can guarantee that these actions never again occur on any of our farms. "With recent events involving Fair Oaks Farms, Strack & Van Til will be removing all Fair Oaks and related products until further notice," he said. CHICAGO At least eight federal lawsuits have been filed against Fairlife as a result of the alleged animal abuse at Fair Oaks Farms that came to light in early June, and the . This video and any future videos will be immediately handed over to the authorities for review and potential prosecution. Alan Bjerga insists that the U.S. dairy community takes the kinds of videos released by ARM very seriously and that it will not be forgotten anytime soon. "A full investigation of all aspects of the video is underway, during and after which disciplinary action will be taken, including termination and criminal prosecution, of any and all employees and managers who have violated either our animal care practices or the law or both," the statement reads. Months ago, when I first learned of the undercover activity, I requested a 3rd party review and we went through a re-training process throughout the dairies. In the wake of the first video being released, retailers including Jewel-Osco, Tonys Fresh Market, Casey's and Family Express have stopped selling Fairlife products. So, in this instance our policy of cow care training "see something, say something" worked. As a matter of routine and practice, Fairlifes cows are tortured, kicked, stomped on, body slammed, stabbed with steel rebar, thrown off the side of trucks, dragged through the dirt by their ears and left to die unattended in over 100-degree heat. Those found guilty of animal abuse usually face dual penalties of jail time and fines. Indiana State Veterinarian Bret D. Marsh, DVM, has directed BOAH staff to collaborate with local law enforcement regarding any appropriate next steps they may take.. Caitlin O'Kane is a digital content producer covering trending stories for CBS News and its good news brand, The Uplift. Here's a look at the top 5 trending stories on nwi.com yesterday. One cup of regular 2% milk has 120 calories, 11 grams of sugar, 5 grams of fat, 8 grams of protein and 30% of the daily calcium recommendation. Sour Milk | Successful Farming In the wake of the scandal, Fairlife (the national brand formally supplied by Fair Oaks) issued apologies and began conducting internal animal welfare investigations at multiple farms. Derrer added that during their most recent legislative session, Indiana's legislators made changes to the state's animal welfare laws, which include harsher punishment for those found guilty of animal abuse. Most of the footage for this video was captured on one of the dairies that belongs to Fair Oaks Farms. The video posts also appear to show drug possession and use by farm employees. Copyright 2023 Green Matters. It also generally costs more. All Rights Reserved. Fairlife, Coca-Cola, hit with second wave of lawsuits over animal abuse May 27 2021, Published 1:51 p.m. Coca-Cola and others agree to $21M settlement for Fairlife animal abuse "Animal abuse in any form is not tolerated on US dairy farms," said Bjerga. IE 11 is not supported. The brand said it has "significantly strengthened our animal care programs and processes since 2019"through camera monitoring, a third-party animal welfare advisory board and increasing the number of unannounced audits at supplying farms. While Fairlife has cut ties with Fair Oaks, Couto said eliminating one supplier doesnt eliminate the problem. ", Richard Couto, founder of Animal Recovery Mission, said the footage released on Tuesday was the tip of the iceberg. The cows shown in the video were not in federally inspected slaughter facilities and therefore not under USDA's authority, a spokesperson said. FAIR OAKS The Newton County prosecutor says a witness has corroborated allegations from a suspect that an animal welfare investigator encour. Because of these laws, there is no way to know for sure what is going on at Fairlifes farms. "I am disgusted by and take full responsibility for the actions seen in the footage, as it goes against everything that we stand for in regards to responsible cow care and comfort," McCloskey said in a written statement on the company's website. In June 2019, undercover footage of appalling animal abuse at a dairy farm that supplied milk to Fairlife went viral, prompting many customers to boycott the ultrafiltered milk company that had claimed to care about animal welfare. "I guarantee you that this will never happen again at Fair Oaks Farms.". A Vermont man filed a complaintthree years ago against Unilever's Ben & Jerrys arguing that contrary to information on the brand's website, it doesnt solely use milk and cream from happy cows. The case was dismissed in 2020. Richard Couto, 50, founder of Animal Recovery Mission, said the actions depicted at Fair Oaks shocked even their seasoned animal abuse investigators. "In 2019, when our farmers reported this behavior, we immediately terminated and turned these individuals into the proper authorities to prosecute," the company said in the statement. In January 2020, Coca-Cola bought out its partners to take full ownership of Fairlife. The above suit has been transferred to the U.S. Northern District of Illinois courts and the case is ongoing. Boycott Fairlife Milk - Sign the Petition! On June 12, 2019, ARM released a cut of the investigators footage documenting cruelty on the dairy farm, which was taken with a hidden body camera. By Clinton Griffiths June 10, 2019. FAIR OAKS, Ind.- Fair Oaks Farms say they will be putting cameras on properties where they have animals. A man accused of abusing calves on the large northwestern Indiana farm has been sentenced to a year of probation after a felony charge was dropped. The Animal Recovery Mission claimed Fair Oaks . The actions depicted on the Animal Recovery Mission video are unacceptable, a USDA spokesperson said. Fair Oaks Farms was the worst abuse towards newborn babies that I have ever seen, Couto said Thursday. However, as I have stated before, the fact that ARM takes months before notifying owners or authorities regarding on-going animal abuse is concerning. The abuse in the dairy industry is systematic., Chicago-area grocers pulled Fairlife from their shelves, A defensive stalwart, Oswego Easts Tyler Jasek surprises Joliet West. A video released by an animal rights organization shows young calves being kicked in the head, dead calves' bodies piled together in the dirt , FAIR OAKS An audit of the dairy farms that make up Fair Oaks Farms indicates the farms are operating within the standards of the dairy indus. We are proud to report that we have not had another incident on our farm.. Criminal charges were filed against at least three of the workers. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The product delivery arm of Fair Oaks Farms, Fresh Delivery, is suspending service for a week "to stand with the farm and for the safety of th, FAIR OAKS The Newton County Sheriff's Office has identified three of the men accused of abusing young calves at Fair Oaks Farms, according t, Police are looking for a suspicious man who reportedly approached children at Griffith's Central Park Monday, calling one to come to him and a, FAIR OAKS One of the men accused of abusing animals at Fair Oaks Farms was arrested Wednesday, while the other two are still being sought by. There is also footage of calves left in. She is a graduate of Ball State University with a major in journalism and minor in anthropology. The videos showed calves being kicked in the head and being struck with branding irons and iron rods, and dead calves were shown piled in the dirt. This ARM video shines a light on an area that despite our thorough training, employee on-boarding procedures and overall commitment to animal welfare needs improvement. The undercover video shows various forms of abuse against the calves. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. Fair Oaks Farms notified Fairlife that they immediately isolated dairy supply from the dairy identified in the video to suspend all sourcing from that location We fully support and respect the proactive approach that Fairlife and Fair Oaks Farms have taken and we continue to stay in contact with them to lend any support they need.". The controversy led to businesses dropping Fairlife products, including Stack & Van Til, Jewel-Osco and Tonys Fresh Market. In the video, calves are stomped in the head, kicked, dragged by the tail and ears, hit in the face with plastic milk bottles, thrown out of the back of trucks and into pens, and generally brutalized. The impact of coronavirus and circumstances arising from 2019 have led to the termination of three major executive positions at Fair Oaks Farm. However, the spokesperson said the USDA is aware of the video and allegations of animal cruelty must be taken seriously. The farm is located about 75 miles southeast of Chicago. Fair Oaks Farm is located in Fair Oaks, right off Interstate 65. Fair Oaks Dairy Farm animal abuse allegations, video prompt Jewel Osco In the initial statement issued Tuesday on social media, Fair Oaks founder Mike McCloskey said four of the people shown committing alleged abuses were Fair Oaks Farms employees and each had been or were being fired. Valparaiso-based Family Express, which operates convenience stores across the state, will replace Fairlife products with milk products from Organic Valley, which has 143 family farms in Indiana. Nothing is as important to us as the health and well-being of our animals, read a statement on Fairlifes website at the time of the scandal, as per ARM. "They recognize the seriousness of this situation as their founding principles are grounded in a strong commitment to sustainability, transparency and the highest standards of animal welfare. "At Jewel-Osco we strive to maintain high animal welfare standards across all areas of our business and work in partnership with our vendors to ensure those standards are upheld.
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