And I watched the video, said Diane Mason, a reader from Melbourne, Florida, who reached out to the Tribune by email Thursday. In addition, Fairlife said they are immediately suspending milk deliveries from the dairy identified in the video. She spends her time monitoring traffic and weather reports, scanning crime logs and reading court documents. 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. "Furthermore, we requested this be elevated to the attorney general of the State of Indiana.". The undercover video shows various forms of abuse against the calves. While some stores stopped carrying Fairlife after the 2019 video, it does not appear to be weighing down the dairy brand today. Fair Oaks Farm, an agritourism destination, is located in Fair Oaks, off Interstate 65 in Newton County. It didn't come from us.". In addition to individuals and companies boycotting the business and its products, in June 2019 delivery services were temporarily suspended. "I learned about it yesterday," said Richard Couto,Animal Recovery Mission founder. UPDATE: Search for Suspects in Fair Oaks Farm Investigation. However, this footage was a wake-up call to dairy consumers everywhere. Yesterdays protest outside of @CocaCola headquarters in #Atlanta urging them to drop @Fairlife milk products following @ARMInvestigatios undercover expos of horrific #calf abuse. The animals depicted in this video do not fall within our authority.. By Clinton Griffiths June 10, 2019. We are proud to report that we have not had another incident on our farm.. I am committed to never again have to watch a video of our animals suffering the way that they suffered," McCloskey said June 6, 2019, in a video posted to Fair Oaks Farms' Facebook page. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Was able to make it through 15 seconds of that fairlife video I will never understand how anyone could hurt an animal. Most of the footage for this video was captured on one of the dairies that belongs to Fair Oaks Farms. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. According to Alan Bjerga, the senior vice president of communications at the National Milk Producers Federation, about 94% of America's dairy farms have 500 or fewer cows. 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. Then I searched for news on this and was surprised it was from 2019. Fairlife has since "discontinued the use of milk from Fair Oaks Farms" in its products. 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. ", "Going undercover in the dairy industry, we always find the same crimes committed against the animals," he said. Please subscribe to keep reading. 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.". 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). There is also footage of calves left in. 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.". Topics covered: R&D, flavor trends, health & nutrition, scientific discoveries, new ingredients, and much more. And if you want to take further action, ARM's website has several suggestions for how to get involved. If the Dairy Industry Was a Country, It Would Be One of the World's Biggest Emitters, Report Finds, Milk Sales Drop by More Than $1 Billion as Plant-Based Alternatives Take Off. As explained by the Animal Legal & Historical Center, ag-gag laws were actually first instituted in response to undercover activists, and these laws are the governments way of protecting the meat, dairy, and egg industries (which makes sense, since the U.S. government gives tens of billions of dollars in subsidies to the animal agriculture industry every year). May 28, 2021 at 9:40 am A 2-year-old video of alleged animal abuse at a northwest Indiana dairy farm has gone viral again, generating a new wave of social media outrage and renewed calls to. Offers may be subject to change without notice. As the two months went on, the undercover activist continually observed employees punching, hitting, poking, and shoving cows; he saw them snapping cows tails; and he watched them push, kick, and slap cows in their udders. The cows shown in the video were not in federally inspected slaughter facilities and therefore not under USDA's authority, a spokesperson said. 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. The new laws will go into effect on July 1. But now, nearly three years later, consumers are wondering how Fairlife treats cows in the wake of the scandal, and if Fairlife still abuses cows in 2021. Fairlife milk products are available nationwide. 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. three times as many greenhouse gas emissions. UPDATE: Criminal probe launched into Fair Oaks Farms employees; companies pull products. "None of them have ever seen anything close to what was depicted on the video, even when performing their duties in the calf areas.". That manager notified local law enforcement about the drug use and, accordingly, a police report is on file. I also take full responsibility to correct and ensure that every employee understands, embraces and practices the core values on which our organization stands. Fairlife said it hasimmediately suspend deliveries and will provide more animal welfare training for employees. Please subscribe to keep reading. The plants featured in the video are an invasive perennial species that is rampant on farms all over the midwest. Is the Government Really Paying Farmers to Destroy Crops and Kill Animals? ARMs Fairlife investigation proved that there is no way to truly know what is happening behind a farm's closed doors. With that said, I am disappointed to learn of potential drug use on our properties. ", Richard Couto, founder of Animal Recovery Mission, said the footage released on Tuesday was the tip of the iceberg. However, the spokesperson said the USDA is aware of the video and allegations of animal cruelty must be taken seriously. As to the individual who worked for the transportation company, today, we will notify the company that he works for and he will not be allowed on our farms again. 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. Fairlife has admitted that the calves seen in the undercover footage taken at Fair Oaks Farms were mistreated. The company's response to the first video as well as multiple grocers' quick removal of Fairlife products has signaled a change in public reaction where animals bred for dairy or even meat are concerned. A Crown Point woman has filed new claims that she has been harmed by animal cruelty at Fair Oaks Farms. They also announced the farm's plans to install video surveillance on the property. NEWTON COUNTY One of the three men accused of abusing animals at Fair Oaks Farms is in federal immigration custody, according to police. Fairlife is owned by the Coca-Cola Company, and the corporation responded to the undercover footage by stating that Fairlife immediately stopped sourcing milk from Fair Oaks Farms after the footage was released, and that Fairlife planned to launch an animal welfare advisory council of experts. Of the four who were our employees, three had already been terminated prior to us being made aware months ago of the undercover ARM operation, as they were identified by their co-workers as being abusive of our animals and reported to management. It has since received millions of views on a variety of social media platforms. I have personally reached out to ARM's founder, Richard Couto, to discuss a more symbiotic relationship but he has yet to reach back. Those poor calves #boycottfairlife. There was a problem saving your notification. After watching the video, the board reviewed compliance records and logs for Fair Oaks Farms and has since been directed to cooperate with authorities. 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From February through April of 2019, an Animal Recovery Mission (ARM) activist got an undercover job milking cows at Fair Oaks Farms, which supplies milk to dairy companies including Fairlife (which is owned by the Coca-Cola Company, and provides milk to Chick-fil-A). When it entered the national market in 2014, Fairlife quickly garnered a lot of attention for producing a milk with "superior nutrition." 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 The form however, doesn't specifically define what constitutes abuse. Please enter valid email address to continue. 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. Ditching dairy is not only a good move for animal welfare, but also for the environment. FAIR OAKS The Newton County prosecutor says a witness has corroborated allegations from a suspect that an animal welfare investigator encour. A dairy farm in Indiana has come under immense scrutiny after an undercover video released by an animal rights group revealed newborn calves being abused by farm employees. On June 4, 2019, videos depicting employees abusing calves were released by ARM following an undercover investigation by the animal rights group. Employees were observed slapping, kicking, punching, pushing, throwing and slamming calves, ARM said in a statement at the time, as per TODAY. Footage shows Fair Oaks Farms workers dragging calves by their ears, throwing them into small plastic enclosures and hitting them with milk bottles. 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. (WTHR) The Newton County Sheriff's Office has charged three people in connection with the Fair Oaks Farms animal abuse video. After reviewing the video frame-by-frame, those three employees are responsible for the overwhelming majority of offenses seen in this video. One of my friends on Facebook shared it. According to the USDA, cows raised on organic farms may not be given growth hormones of any type. 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. Soon after the footage came out, many consumers vowed to boycott Fairlife, and buy milk from otherdairy brands instead. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Fair Oaks Farms said the company's progress has been regularly documented on their website fofarms.com/progress where they write about efforts concerning video surveillance, mentorship, employee care, training, monitoring of facilities and staff, audits and animal welfare experts. They are distributed by the Coca-Cola Company in the U.S. graphic video filmed at Indiana's Fair Oaks Farms, new footage was released by Animal Recovery Mission, thousands of smaller dairy farms closing for business, National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM), Grocery stores pull popular milk brand from shelves after disturbing video surfaces, the Chicago-based company is being sued for fraud, which still has a 4.5-star rating on TripAdvisor, retailers including Jewel-Osco, Tonys Fresh Market, Casey's and Family Express have stopped selling Fairlife products, The new laws will go into effect on July 1. Consumer fraud lawsuits were filed across the country against Fairlife and later consolidated in Chicago federal court. The perfect tummy control bodysuit, a popcorn gadget, more bestsellers starting at $8. While the videos and ensuing lawsuits cast negative attention on the Fairlife brand, it has done little to slow its momentum. Fair Oaks Farms said that people were harassing the business and its staff via phone calls, messages, social media and in person during deliveries. Fair Oaks Farms was the worst abuse towards newborn babies that I have ever seen, Couto said Thursday. For further information on the progress of our commitments, visit http://fairoaksfarmsprogress.com.". FAIR OAKS, Ind. 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.. "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).". 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. They are both owned by Mike McCloskey. The fifth person is a truck driver who works for a third party. That all seems unlikely, since all this happens behind closed doors, and any of those actions could hurt Fairlifes profits. "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. Here's a look at the top 5 trending stories on nwi.com yesterday. "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. 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. The undercover video released by nonprofit ARM shows Fair Oaks Farm employees kicking, throwing, stomping on and hitting cows with plastic bottles. 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. Cathy Siegner Though the newly released footage was taken last year by the same undercover agent who took video showing the farm's calves being abused, its release has trigged a new wave of protests as the brand continues to do damage control. Criminal charges were filed against at least three of the workers. He released a video statement following the backlash from the Animal Recovery Mission revelations. "We are currently putting actions into place to ensure that this never happens again. 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. 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. Fairlifes website states that after ARM exposed Fairlifes cruelty, the dairy company stopped buying milk from Fair Oaks, and established a robust welfare program with their other farms, which Fairlife has put over $8 million into. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. 2 men found drugged after leaving NYC gay bars were killed, medical examiner says. 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. Ex-Fair Oaks Farms worker gets probation for abusing calves A man accused of abusing calves on the large northwestern Indiana farm has been sentenced to a year of probation after a felony. 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 . Derrer told TODAY that prior to the first video's release, her office had never received a complaint about Fair Oaks Farms. But this behavior was all observed nearly three years ago so is it still happening? Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. However, before ARM released its footage of Fair Oaks, Fairlife had made plenty of claims in regards to animal welfare. So even though Fairlife claims to be making efforts to improve animal welfare and sustainability at its supplier farms, there is no way for consumers to truly monitor it; plus, exploitation of the cows reproductive system and eventual slaughter are both unavoidable in the dairy industry. Unfortunately, the practices seen on Fair Oaks Farm are not uncommon in the dairy industry. Fair Oaks, a sprawling dairy farm, was launched in 2004 by Mike and Sue McCloskey, who are also co-founders of Select Milk. In January 2020, Coca-Cola bought out its partners to take full ownership of Fairlife. "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. "We will work with the Newton County prosecutors office to file charges for any criminal activity the independent investigation revealed. FAIR OAKS Mike McCloskey said he wished an animal activist organization that spent nearly six months clandestinely filming the operations of, FAIR OAKS | Fortune 60 company Coca-Cola is partnering with a Northwest Indiana farm, hoping that a reinvented, more nutrient-rich milk can do. The public on both sides of the controversial video was passionate about what it saw. 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. 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. Green Matters is a registered trademark. Those wishing to report any suspected animal cruelty can call 219-474-5661 or 219-234-7014, the department's tip line. The fifth person is a truck driver who works for a third party. 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, Fairs Oaks said in an emailed statement Thursday. 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. All of the brand's beverages are made using a patented, cold-filtration process where milk molecules are separated by different filters and then recombined in a formula with more favorable macro nutrient ratios. 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. "Isolated incidents such as this are not indicative of how our countrys dairy farm families operate.". Fair Oaks Farms is the largest dairy farm in Indiana with 37,000 cows, TODAY reported. 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. 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.. The admission building at Fair Oaks Farm has the phrase "Your Adventure Starts Here" written across the front. Copyright 2023 Green Matters. 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. Mar 13, 2020. Couto said the videos have now been going viral across all social media platforms, including newer sites like TikTok. Our world revolves around making sure that our cows are fed well, treated humanely and live in comfortable, stress-free conditions.. Time passed, and the product found its way back onto store shelves. Critics of dairy operations, such as Mercy for Animals, PETA and The Humane Society of the U.S., maintain . 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. 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. 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. Coutos organization has investigated alleged abuse at 25 dairy farms in the U.S., including a 2017 investigation at a Florida dairy farm associated with Dean Foods, which filed for bankruptcy in 2019. Approximately 98% of the country's milk supply is represented through the National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM), a program that sets animal care standards for participating farms. In a statement to Food Dive, Fairlife said animal welfare is and will always be a top priority." Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. "This resulted in extreme pain and suffering by the calves, and in some cases permanent injury and even death," the statement continued. 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. HAMMOND Fair Oaks Farms is facing new demands it pay damages over animal abuse at the agritourism destination. When animals fall within our authorities, USDA acts to prevent animal cruelty such as this. But that number is rapidly declining, with thousands of smaller dairy farms closing for business over the past two decades. Five workers in the video were identified as participating in the alleged abuse. After all, it's their product and their livelihood at risk since most calves sell for between $500 - $1,000. Parth Raval, the division's chief growth officer, said the CPG giant is exploring different ingredients, packaging formats and flavor offerings to strengthen its dominant presence in the category. Coworkers caught. FAIR OAKS The Newton County Sheriff's Department has requested the names of former Fair Oaks Farms employees shown abusing young calves inavideo released by an animal rights organizationTuesday, according to a department news release. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. She is a graduate of Ball State University with a major in journalism and minor in anthropology. -- Police are investigating allegations of animal abuse at an Indiana dairy farm, the Newton County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday. In June 2019, ARM published a video (warning it's brutal) of the investigators most shocking footage, which quickly went viral. Individuals across the country have been recently resharing the videos, calling for a boycott on Fair Oaks Farms and Fairlife products. Fairlife does not provide any evidence that its cows are no longer being abused in fact, industrial animal farms are protected from being photographed or filmed by a set of laws called ag-gag laws. The undercover videos and ARM's animal abuse report on Fair Oaks Farms since had a snowball effect on the company. "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. | 11 a.m. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. "This is a much greater investigation and it's still ongoing," Couto said. You can also make plans to watch the upcoming documentary Milked, which is all about the dairy industry, its impacts on the environment, and what needs to be done to turn things around. Although he underwent another training session in animal care when we discovered there was an undercover ARM operation on our farm, after viewing the extent of his animal abuse, he is being terminated today. We anticipate cooperation from both parties in this matter during this investigation.". A recent video shows abuse of animals located on one of the farm's properties. 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. Laws vary by state, but many, like Indiana, stipulate that dairy farms undergo a government-led inspection at least twice a year. It is heartwarming as investigators to see reemerging interest. A Hammond man reported being robbed of guns and cash in Chesterton park, but police have questions. Nearly 50,000 people read a 2-year-old Chicago Tribune story on the alleged animal abuse at Fair Oaks over two days. Boycott Fairlife Milk - Sign the Petition! 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. A dozen Chicago-area grocers pulled Fairlife from their shelves amid widespread backlash.
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