"We will work with the Newton County prosecutors office to file charges for any criminal activity the independent investigation revealed. However, this footage was a wake-up call to dairy consumers everywhere. fairlife is committed to the humane and compassionate care of animals. In June 2019, ARM published a video (warning it's brutal) of the investigators most shocking footage, which quickly went viral. Fairlife, which is owned by Coca-Cola, quickly cut ties with the dairy farm after the video first went viral. "The response is similar to when we first published the footage on a smaller scale, with the outrage in general. We didn't spur it on but we are glad it happened. ARMs Fairlife investigation proved that there is no way to truly know what is happening behind a farm's closed doors. Please feel free to contact me if you have any comments or questions. 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. Several companies bought big into the once-promising segment, but the governmentsdecision not to permit the ingredient in food and beverages has left producers unwilling to invest further. 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. But somebody shared the video recently on Facebook and it caught fire again, putting Fairlife and Fair Oaks back on the hot seat. 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 boycott Fairlife, a Chicago-based premium milk brand. 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. A cemetery posted a personal ad for a goose whose mate died. 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. "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. "We've been trying to figure out where this regeneration of the videos has come from. 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. Fair Oaks, she said, is no longer in its supply chain. 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. On June 4, 2019, ARM released disturbing footage of one of its most grueling factory farm investigations. While some stores stopped carrying Fairlife after the 2019 video, it does not appear to be weighing down the dairy brand today. 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. 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. 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. Its not the farm, its the industry, Couto said. Time passed, and the product found its way back onto store shelves. Copyright 2023 Green Matters. WATCH VIDEO The plants featured in the video are an invasive perennial species that is rampant on farms all over the midwest. UPDATE: Criminal probe launched into Fair Oaks Farms employees; companies pull products. But conventionally raised cows may be given both growth hormones and antibiotics, regardless of whether they are sick. One of those men has since been apprehended and arrested. I am disappointed for not being aware of this kind of awful treatment occurring and I take full responsibility for what has happened. Until these things are in place, Fairlife said no dairy from the video will be used in its products. Fairlife said it hasimmediately suspend deliveries and will provide more animal welfare training for employees. They also announced the farm's plans to install video surveillance on the property. A Crown Point woman has filed new claims that she has been harmed by animal cruelty at Fair Oaks Farms. Fairlife has not sourced milk from Fair Oaks since the 2019 incident, the brand said. UPDATE: Search for Suspects in Fair Oaks Farm Investigation. While we were made aware a couple months ago of the fact that ARM had gone undercover at Fair Oaks Farms, and had proactively made a statement, we had no idea what kind of footage had been captured or what if any abuse had occurred. 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. For further information on the progress of our commitments, visit http://fairoaksfarmsprogress.com.". 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. "The expos of animal abuse in the Fair Oaks Farm network is chilling. You can cancel at any time. "Many of you have reached out to express your disappointment, heartbreak and anger regarding the videos released yesterday, and we want you to know that we share those same feelings and take full responsibility," the company's post stated. 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. @CocaCola needs to end this partnership & @fairlife needs to take action on there workers and this situation. #boycottfairlife. Topics covered: manufacturing, packaging, new products, R&D, and much more. Dead calves were dumped in mass grave sites by employees, the video shows. The admission building at Fair Oaks Farm has the phrase "Your Adventure Starts Here" written across the front. Provide medical care or rehab for the injured or sick cows? However, as I have stated before, the fact that ARM takes months before notifying owners or authorities regarding on-going animal abuse is concerning. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. 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 farm is located about 75 miles southeast of Chicago. 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. Couto supported the renewed calls for boycotting Fairlife, but said his target is much bigger the dairy industry at large. But unlike the retailers, it plans to stick with Fairlife. After watching the video, the board reviewed compliance records and logs for Fair Oaks Farms and has since been directed to cooperate with authorities. It didn't come from us.". 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. 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. STAFF REPORTS. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. It is heartwarming as investigators to see reemerging interest. 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. Laws vary by state, but many, like Indiana, stipulate that dairy farms undergo a government-led inspection at least twice a year. 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. According to online federal court records, the next hearing will be a remote status hearing on July 15. The animal abuse at Fair Oaks Farms would not be the only potential wrongdoing eligible for action by Newton County prosecutors if a proposal , State leaders so far are staying mum following the release of undercover videos showing animal abuse committed by former Fair Oaks Farms emplo, CROWN POINT Charges filed Tuesday allege a Gary woman dragged a 5-year-old girl by the arm away from a playground and pushed the child to th. So, in this instance our policy of cow care training "see something, say something" worked. Nearly 50,000 people read a 2-year-old Chicago Tribune story on the alleged animal abuse at Fair Oaks over two days. 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. One person seen in the Animal Recovery Mission video was a third-party truck driver who was transporting calves, he said. The U.S. Department of Agriculture regulates the treatment of animals under the authority of the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act and the Animal Welfare Act. 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.. 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. ", "Going undercover in the dairy industry, we always find the same crimes committed against the animals," he said. 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. Cut ties with the supplier? 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. The result is a milk with more protein and calcium, and less fat and sugar, than conventional milk. "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.". 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. "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. "This is hardly the response you would expect from an organization that gets it. You can cancel at any time. 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. On Monday, the Newton County Sheriff's Office announced that three people have been charged with animal cruelty. Plaintiffs in the lawsuit allege that these qualities justified premium prices for the product, which they said they bought the products solely because of the guarantee for "extraordinary animal care. ", "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. 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. 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. Sour Milk. People all over the world were horrified to see evidence of such unnecessary abuse at the farm. tens of billions of dollars in subsidies to the animal agriculture industry, standard practice across the dairy industry. The abuse extends to kicking and beating calves, as well as force-feeding them until they can't breath. 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.. 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. 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. Criminal charges were filed against at least three of the workers. But the most powerful move came from the midwestern grocery stores who actually stopped selling Fairlife products including Jewel-Osco, Tonys Fresh, Casey's, and Family Express, according to TODAY. It worked. It was evident to the investigator that it was the normal way to do business at the farm, the document read. In the wake of two videos being released showing animals being abused at Fair Oaks Farms in Indiana, Fairlife Dairy has issued multiple apologies following the controversy. 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. 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. 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. All Rights Reserved. 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. Months ago, the individual seen smoking by the barn and doing drugs in a truck was turned in by his co-workers to one of our managers. Fairlife claims to only source milk from farms with a zero tolerance policy for animal abuse, and the proper care of the animals that supply the milk for our products continues to be a top priority.. While Fairlife has cut ties with Fair Oaks, Couto said eliminating one supplier doesnt eliminate the problem. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Couto said the next video will allegedly show conversations the undercover investigator had with management acknowledging animal abuse. I have personally reached out to ARM's founder, Richard Couto, to discuss a more symbiotic relationship but he has yet to reach back. It is a shock and an eye-opener for us to discover that under our watch, we had employees who showed disregard for our animals, our processes and for the rule of law. The cows shown in the video were not in federally inspected slaughter facilities and therefore not under USDA's authority, a spokesperson said. "I think people are starting to understand that and diving into the dairy issue for their own physical health, animal abuse and environmental impact. 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. 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. "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. "This resulted in extreme pain and suffering by the calves, and in some cases permanent injury and even death," the statement continued. 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. The Animal Recovery Mission claimed Fair Oaks . Cuoto said, "The answer is no for me. 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. People are starting to do their own homework on this. The alleged abuse dates back to August 2018, when Animal Recovery Mission, a nonprofit animal welfare group based in Miami, planted an investigator as an undercover calf care employee at the Indiana farm. Caitlin O'Kane is a digital content producer covering trending stories for CBS News and its good news brand, The Uplift. Provided. At Target, a 52-ounce bottle of Fairlife milk sells for $3.39. Derrer told TODAY that prior to the first video's release, her office had never received a complaint about Fair Oaks Farms. 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. Does Fairlife publicize the audit? But that doesn't mean that all farming operations are large-scale operations like Fair Oaks Farms, which has 37,000 cows and is the largest dairy farm in the state of Indiana. Get the free daily newsletter read by industry experts. You have permission to edit this article. Farmers and ranchers . Please enter valid email address to continue. In addition to individuals and companies boycotting the business and its products, in June 2019 delivery services were temporarily suspended. The controversy surrounding Fair Oaks Farms led to a flurry of social media comments, statements and responses as fallout from an undercover video showing animal cruelty at the popular Indiana . Topics covered: R&D, flavor trends, health & nutrition, scientific discoveries, new ingredients, and much more. 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. Couto said the videos have now been going viral across all social media platforms, including newer sites like TikTok. The calves appeared to stay in filthy, overcrowded and hot conditions. But premium milk comes at a premium price. 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. 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.. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. "Furthermore, we requested this be elevated to the attorney general of the State of Indiana.". Keep reading for a refresher on what went down, everything we know about Fairlifes treatment of the cows, and for our guidance on easy ways to protest companies that treat animals unfairly. 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. 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. It also generally costs more. Family Express CEO and founder Gus Olympidis was honored for his distinguished 44-year career in the convenience store business. Claims like these inspire people to choose these products, because they believe that they are better. The farm, which still has a 4.5-star rating on TripAdvisor, welcomes about 500,000 visitors annually. Most of the footage for this video was captured on one of the dairies that belongs to Fair Oaks Farms. There's also a virtual reality lab showing how the farm recycles manure to power its machinery. Boycott Fairlife Milk - Sign the Petition! He said sometimes videos from former investigations will resurface years later but the scope of this reemergence is fairly significant. Calves were stabbed and beaten with steel rebars, hit in the mouth and face with hard plastic milking bottles, kneed in the spine, burned in the face with hot branding irons, subjected to extreme temperatures, provided with improper nutrition, and denied medical attention.". 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. But that number is rapidly declining, with thousands of smaller dairy farms closing for business over the past two decades. Fair Oaks Farm, an agritourism destination, is located in Fair Oaks, off Interstate 65 in Newton County. Our world revolves around making sure that our cows are fed well, treated humanely and live in comfortable, stress-free conditions.. Members worked as employees while wearing a hidden camera.

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