They also announced the farm's plans to install video surveillance on the property. 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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 . The undercover video shows various forms of abuse against the calves. A roundup of crime stories from throughout the Region during the past 24 hours. Provided. "This is a much greater investigation and it's still ongoing," Couto said. One person seen in the Animal Recovery Mission video was a third-party truck driver who was transporting calves, he said. The dairy sector has seen its share of them. Family Express CEO and founder Gus Olympidis was honored for his distinguished 44-year career in the convenience store business. It worked. Nearly 50,000 people read a 2-year-old Chicago Tribune story on the alleged animal abuse at Fair Oaks over two days. Please subscribe to keep reading. "The response is similar to when we first published the footage on a smaller scale, with the outrage in general. Ditching dairy is not only a good move for animal welfare, but also for the environment. It has since received millions of views on a variety of social media platforms. The calves appeared to stay in filthy, overcrowded and hot conditions. Charges have been filed by the Newton County Indiana Sheriff's office for alleged animal cruelty at Fair Oaks Farms. Five workers in the video were identified as participating in the alleged abuse. It is heartwarming as investigators to see reemerging interest. Couto said he believes that there is a growing trend of people turning away from dairy and seeking out alternatives like soy milk due to videos like the ones ARM posted about Fair Oaks Farm. Those poor calves #boycottfairlife. As a result, cows today produce up to 7 times more milk than their predecessors. Fairlife, which is owned by Coca-Cola, quickly cut ties with the dairy farm after the video first went viral. "This is rare," Couto said. Since opening as a tourist attraction in 2004, Fair Oaks Farms has been considered the "Disneyland" of dairy farms. UPDATE: Criminal probe launched into Fair Oaks Farms employees; companies pull products. It was evident to the investigator that it was the normal way to do business at the farm, the document read. The undercover video released by nonprofit ARM shows Fair Oaks Farm employees kicking, throwing, stomping on and hitting cows with plastic bottles. Conventionally raised cows may spend the majority of their lives in pens or inside barns in cramped quarters. "But Fairlifes and its founders 'promise' is a sham. But not his teammates. Offers may be subject to change without notice. McCloskey, a retired veterinarian, and his wife Sue often used the word symbiotic to describe their relationship to their cows (which they referred to as their girls). "We have staff in the farm sites regularly," she said. @CocaCola needs to end this partnership & @fairlife needs to take action on there workers and this situation. #boycottfairlife. Organic dairy farms must also allow their cows to be able to graze outside. 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. While some stores stopped carrying Fairlife after the 2019 video, it does not appear to be weighing down the dairy brand today. 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. The footage went viral, and the organization also published a 125-page document reporting what the activist witnessed including extreme and violent animal abuse within the first few hours on the job. "I can't get into the details at this time for the safety of our investigators, but I will say there's more to this than what was released (Tuesday).". Green Matters is a registered trademark. And I watched the video, said Diane Mason, a reader from Melbourne, Florida, who reached out to the Tribune by email Thursday. 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. "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. Topics covered: manufacturing, packaging, new products, R&D, and much more. Fairlife has not sourced milk from Fair Oaks since the 2019 incident, the brand said. Fair Oaks Farms said that people were harassing the business and its staff via phone calls, messages, social media and in person during deliveries. Couto supported the renewed calls for boycotting Fairlife, but said his target is much bigger the dairy industry at large. Fairlife was launched in 2012 as a partnership between Coca-Cola, which distributes its products, and the Select Milk Producers, a co-op of dairy farms that includes Fair Oaks. After watching the video, the board reviewed compliance records and logs for Fair Oaks Farms and has since been directed to cooperate with authorities. The organization put out a few calls to action to people who were affected by the heartbreaking footage ARM asked people to sign its petition, to ask stores to stop carrying Fairlife, and to leave dairy products off their plates. People have been drinking cow's milk for thousands of years, but the nature of commercial farming has undergone vast changes in the past century. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Gardozo-Vasquez - one of three former Fair Oaks Farms workers charged in connection to scenes of abuse that set off national protests and boycotts of Indiana's largest dairy - had also been. FAIR OAKS The Newton County prosecutor says a witness has corroborated allegations from a suspect that an animal welfare investigator encour. Fair Oaks, she said, is no longer in its supply chain. Fair Oaks Farms said five people in the video were identified and four of them are employees at the farm. Mike McCloskey, owner of Fair Oaks, released a video Thursday apologizing after an und However, the spokesperson said the USDA is aware of the video and allegations of animal cruelty must be taken seriously. The Coca-Cola Company and Fair Oaks owners Mike and Sue McCloskey are named as co-defendants in the suits, which were being consolidated into a single fraud case. When reached by TODAY via email, a Fair Oaks Farms representative provided the following statement: "This is the same video that was released and covered last week, which includes footage that took place several months ago. Mike McCloskey owns both Fairlife dairy products and Fair Oaks Farms. To add insult to injury, the abuse is rampant even at Fairlifes 'flagship farm in Indiana' that customers are urged to visit on the products labels.". Couto said the videos have now been going viral across all social media platforms, including newer sites like TikTok. Others boycotted dairy entirely, and switched to non-dairy milk, cheese, and ice cream. Mike Withers has returned as president of Jewel-Osco after the last president stepped down after little more than a year in the job. Until these things are in place, Fairlife said no dairy from the video will be used in its products. 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. Fairlife also hired a vet as its Director of Animal Welfare and Sustainable Farming in January 2020, and the company claims to now conduct third-party audits of its farms. three times as many greenhouse gas emissions. Then I searched for news on this and was surprised it was from 2019. A 64-ounce jug of Market Pantry (Target's brand) milk is $2.39. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. "I guarantee you that this will never happen again at Fair Oaks Farms.". It's located in Fair Oaks, Ind., just off I-65, about 109 miles north of Indianapolis and. 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. Shot in 2018 by an undercover activist group investigator at Fair Oaks Farms, then the massive flagship dairy of Fairlife, the four-minute video depicts workers throwing, dragging, kicking and hitting newborn calves. Now, the Chicago-based company is being sued for fraud since it promoted the extraordinary care and comfort of its cows on product labels and charged twice as much for its milk products. He said sometimes videos from former investigations will resurface years later but the scope of this reemergence is fairly significant. 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. Animal Welfare Experts | Video Update | Fair Oaks Farms Animal Welfare Animal Welfare Experts Video Update Share Both of our Animal Welfare Experts continue to evaluate our existing training programs, our on-boarding process for hiring new employees and the continuous education of employees. 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 . People are starting to do their own homework on this. On June 4, 2019, ARM released disturbing footage of one of its most grueling factory farm investigations. Its not the farm, its the industry, Couto said. In a public statement in 2019,Fair Oaks Farms Chairman Mike McCloskeyacknowledged that four of the people shown committing alleged abuses were Fair Oaks Farms employees, and one person was a third-party truck driver who was transporting calves. Lawsuits are a part of the regular course of business in today's food and beverage industry. We apologize for any inconvenience," spokeswoman Mary Frances Trucco told CBS Chicago in an email. Please subscribe to keep reading. 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. The Coca-Cola Company and Fair Oaks owners Mike and Sue McCloskey are named as co-defendants in the suits, which are being consolidated into a. The company cited Fair Oaks Farms' actions in light of the ARM investigation as well, saying Fair Oaks Farms has commissioned an independent auditor to audit practices at the farm and has also committed to conduct independent, random audits. "This resulted in extreme pain and suffering by the calves, and in some cases permanent injury and even death," the statement continued. We anticipate cooperation from both parties in this matter during this investigation.". "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. 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. Fairlife dairy gets its milk from Fair Oaks Farms. You have permission to edit this article. "Furthermore, we requested this be elevated to the attorney general of the State of Indiana.". One exception is Chobani, which last week said it was ending the production of its Chobani Ultra-Filtered Milk,which launched in February. He said some people have recently reached out to him asking if they can feel better about purchasing products from the company since the announcement from McCloskey about changes instated for animal welfare. Gardozo Vasquez pleaded guilty late last year to misdemeanor animal cruelty and was sentenced to a term of probation under a plea agreement in which the prosecutor dropped a felony count of torturing or mutilating a vertebrate animal. The animals depicted in this video do not fall within our authority.. Pittsburgh woman missing for 31 years found alive in Puerto Rico, Alex Murdaugh found guilty of murders of wife and son. It's well-know that a suspected animal-abuse video was released by an activist group known as Animal Recovery Mission about the dairy operation at Fair Oaks Farms in Indiana. On Wednesday it. fairlife is committed to the humane and compassionate care of animals. Employees were observed slapping, kicking, punching, pushing, throwing and slamming calves, ARM said in a statement at the time, as per TODAY. The group released the video documenting the alleged animal abuse nearly a year later. The impact of coronavirus and circumstances arising from 2019 have led to the termination of three major executive positions at Fair Oaks Farm. Coworkers caught three of the four employees abusing animals, reported them to management and they were fired before the Animal Recovery Mission video was even released. 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. Authorities have arrested one of the three men charged in connection with an animal cruelty investigation at Fair Oaks Farms in northwest Indiana, authorities announced Wednesday. "None of them have ever seen anything close to what was depicted on the video, even when performing their duties in the calf areas.". tens of billions of dollars in subsidies to the animal agriculture industry, standard practice across the dairy industry. And while it sounds good that Fairlife is conducting third-party audits of its farms, Fairlife does not state what happens if its auditors observe abuse at a farm. ", "Going undercover in the dairy industry, we always find the same crimes committed against the animals," he said. For female cows to produce milk for farmers to take, farmers must first artificially inseminate the cows; once a baby is born, farmers must separate mother and calf, otherwise the calf would nurse from his or her mother. ET, Webinar 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. The parties, which include Select Milk Producers, Fair Oaks Farms and Mike and Sue McCloskey (the owners of Fair Oaks and founders of Fairlife), also agreed to take additional steps to implement animal welfare oversight, according to the filing. 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. In the new statement issued Wednesday on the Fair Oaks Farms Facebook feed, the company acknowledged the brutal nature of some of the video captured on its property. In response to the video, local grocery store chain Jewel-Osco said it was removing all Fairlife products that come from Fair Oaks Farms from its stores. As for the vet who Fairlife hired as Director of Animal Welfare and Sustainable Farming, theres no way she can observe the daily operations at all 30+ farms that supply milk to Fairlife. 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. Sour Milk. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Fortunately, there are endless options when it comes to non-dairy milk, chocolate milk, yogurt, protein shakes, and more. 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 is based in Fair Oaks, Indiana. Calumet City mayor taken to hospital after 4-vehicle crash, COVID-19, fallout from animal abuse charges lead to departure of 3 executives at Fair Oaks Farms, document says, New lawsuit filed against Fair Oaks Farms, Ex-Fair Oaks Farms worker gets probation for abusing calves, Plaintiffs suing Fairlife seek class-action status for alleged animal abuse at Fair Oaks Farms, Man accused of abuse at Fair Oaks Farms in ICE custody, police say, Animal welfare group calls claims of investigators encouraging abuse at Fair Oaks Farms 'incredibly false', Moscow reportedly threatened new parents in Ukraine: Register your newborns as Russian or else, The impact of climate change will be felt worse in these three U.S. cities, Scientists reveal hidden corridor in Great Pyramid of Giza, Greece train crash: Public anger grows as death toll rises. Copyright 2023 Green Matters. But unlike the retailers, it plans to stick with Fairlife. By Clinton Griffiths June 10, 2019. Approximately 30 dairies support Fairlife; therefore, we are visiting all supplying dairies in person and conducting independent third-party audits within the next 30 days to verify all animal husbandry practices at the farms, including all training, management and auditing practices, Fairlife said in a statement. FAIR OAKS Videos of calves being body slammed and kicked at Fair Oaks Farms posted two years ago by activist group Animal Mission Recovery has had a recent viral resurface on social media. We will also continue to work with Fair Oaks Farms to ensure specific actions are taken to address this situation and uphold our high standards for animal care.. "This is hardly the response you would expect from an organization that gets it. The farm, which still has a. He also observed that immediately after giving birth, mother cows were separated from their newborn calves, who were placed into confined sheds, while the mothers were sent right back to the milking rotary, sometimes with their placentas still hanging out of their bodies. It also generally costs more. Fair Oaks Farms representatives said Saturday no other incidents have happened since the videos were released in 2019. There was a problem saving your notification. A recent video shows abuse of animals located on one of the farm's properties. / CBS News. 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. It didn't come from us.". The undercover videos and ARM's animal abuse report on Fair Oaks Farms since had a snowball effect on the company. Topics covered: R&D, flavor trends, health & nutrition, scientific discoveries, new ingredients, and much more. FAIR OAKS, Ind. Was able to make it through 15 seconds of that fairlife video I will never understand how anyone could hurt an animal. A Crown Point woman has filed new claims that she has been harmed by animal cruelty at Fair Oaks Farms. 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. HAMMOND Fair Oaks Farms is facing new demands it pay damages over animal abuse at the agritourism destination. All Rights Reserved. Yet many farmers argue that it's in their best interest to treat their animals humanely. I am disappointed for not being aware of this kind of awful treatment occurring and I take full responsibility for what has happened. In case you need a refresher, heres a recap of the Fairlife investigation. The actions depicted on the Animal Recovery Mission video are unacceptable, a USDA spokesperson said. "Animal abuse in any form is not tolerated on US dairy farms," said Bjerga. There is likely still animal cruelty on Fairlife's farms in 2021. Other premium brands, including A2, have been a hit with consumers. Footage shows Fair Oaks Farms workers dragging calves by their ears, throwing them into small plastic enclosures and hitting them with milk bottles. The public on both sides of the controversial video was passionate about what it saw. He released a video statement following the backlash from the Animal Recovery Mission revelations. Tony's Fresh Market, which has 15 stores across the Chicago area, said it would no longer carry Fairlife "in light of the devastating news story that broke about Fairlife and Fair Oaks Dairy Farm" and after customers voiced concerns. Below is McCloskey's full statement for Fair Oaks Farms: This morning I was made aware of an animal abuse video that the group Animal Recovery Mission (ARM) produced and has released to the public and the press. As the larger dairy milk category has struggled, premium offerings have largely been a promising growth story. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. But this behavior was all observed nearly three years ago so is it still happening? 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. "We are proud to report that we have not had another incident on our farm.". He took undercover footage of the dairy farm during his few months working there, providing ARM with undeniable evidence of inherent cruelty subjected daily to dairy cows within industrialized food production systems.. Founded in 2012, the ultra-filtered dairy brand announced earlier this year it surpassed $1 billion in annual retail sales. So far, there is no evidence that this kind of accusation creates long-term harm for the brands involved. Northwest Indiana companies and construction professionals can learn about the latest developments with gas hazards and gas detection technolo, A former social worker turned entrepreneur developed a vegan, plant-based icing that will be available at Strack & Van Til supermarkets in, The Coca-Cola Company and Fair Oaks owners Mike and Sue McCloskey are named as co-defendants in the suits, which are being consolidated into a. Fair Oaks Farms is the flagship farm for Fairlife, a national brand of higher protein, higher calcium and lower fat milk that's produced at a network of dairy farms and distributed by Coca-Cola. As a veterinarian whose life and work is dedicated to the care, comfort and safety of all animals, this has affected me deeply. STAFF REPORTS. 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. Fairlife has since "discontinued the use of milk from Fair Oaks Farms" in its products. Members worked as employees while wearing a hidden camera. Warning: the video is very disturbing. Fairlife said it hasimmediately suspend deliveries and will provide more animal welfare training for employees. USDA has full confidence that Indiana state and local authorities will investigate this particular case and take appropriate action. 219-933-4194, anna.ortiz@nwi.com. Video taken and posted by an animal rights group shows, among other things, dairy calves being body slammed and hit with various objects, including steel rods and branding irons. He can shoot it., Justin Steele and 6 Chicago Cubs relievers combine for the 1st spring training no-hitter in franchise history, Leah Palmer experiences grand time as Geneva grinds out victory in Class 4A third-place game. "For any case, we need to review each act individually to determine if it meets the states definition of cruelty or abuse," said Denise Derrer, Public Information Director at the Indiana State Board of Animal Health, who is helping with the investigation. Fair Oaks Political Reaction 061019. It is with great disappointment to find, after closely reviewing the released ARM video, that there were five individuals committing multiple instances of animal cruelty and despicable judgement. 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. The organization also noticed a surge of interest this week in its nearly 3-year-old Fair Oaks investigation. 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. 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. Please enter valid email address to continue. The farm, which still has a 4.5-star rating on TripAdvisor, welcomes about 500,000 visitors annually. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, UPDATE: Death of Winfield woman ruled a homicide, coroner says, 2 Illinois men each sentenced to over 90 years for killing of Portage High School student, UPDATE: Parents discovered battered, deceased Winfield woman; remembered as 'amazing' nurse, KFC is bringing back a fan favorite after a nearly 10-year hiatus, UPDATE: Lake Station police investigating possible homicide; suspect in custody, chief says, Crown Point schools release redistricting maps, History Channel's 'American Pickers' coming back to Indiana, looking for people with antiques, Lake County investigators on scene of death investigation in Winfield, sheriff says, Passed-out motorist found with lit marijuana cigarette, Portage police say, 1 million-square-foot, 'once-in-a-lifetime building' walls erected in new business park, Man found dead from gunshot wound in Munster parking lot, coroner says, Lake Station man charged with murder in connection with deadly shooting, Riverfront district moves forward in St. John. 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 . Fair Oaks, a sprawling dairy farm, was launched in 2004 by Mike and Sue McCloskey, who are also co-founders of Select Milk. You have permission to edit this article. An undercover video provided by Animal Recovery Mission shows workers allegedly abusing animals at Fair Oaks Farms in Newton County. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. The farm, which promotes itself as an agritourism destination for families and school groups, has documented steps it has taken to improve animal treatment since the video was released. During the investigation, initiated in 2018, an ARM undercover investigator captured surveillance evidence of the systematic and horrific animal abuse occurring at Fair Oaks Farm's Dairy Farm Adventures, Indiana, USA. Those found guilty of animal abuse usually face dual penalties of jail time and fines. Though videos showing animal abuse across different types of farms are not new, the initial Fair Oaks video release sparked a substantial outcry due to the company's history of promoting its own sustainable farming practices and animal welfare. ", "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. Regardless, 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. Strack's CEO, Jeff Strack, said the Highland-based company would no longer carry Fairlife products like Core Power protein shakes at its 20 supermarkets in Northwest Indiana. In 2019, undercover footage taken by an animal rights activist exposed Fair Oaks Farms, which supplies milk to dairy companies including Fairlife, revealed appalling evidence of animal abuse. Get the free daily newsletter read by industry experts.
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