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. But this behavior was all observed nearly three years ago so is it still happening? An undercover video provided by Animal Recovery Mission shows workers allegedly abusing animals at Fair Oaks Farms in Newton County. 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. However, as I have stated before, the fact that ARM takes months before notifying owners or authorities regarding on-going animal abuse is concerning. According to online federal court records, the next hearing will be a remote status hearing on July 15. 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. Was able to make it through 15 seconds of that fairlife video I will never understand how anyone could hurt an animal. Times staff writers Joseph S. Pete and Anna Ortiz contributed to this report. 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. Alex Murdaugh sentenced to life in prison for murders of wife and son, Biden had cancerous skin lesion removed last month, doctor says, White supremacist and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes kicked out of CPAC, Tom Sizemore, actor known for "Saving Private Ryan" and "Heat," dies at 61, Biden team readies new advisory panel ahead of expected reelection bid, At least 10 dead after winter storm slams South, Midwest, House Democrats unhappy with White House handling of D.C.'s new criminal code. 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. Fair Oaks Political Reaction 061019. 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. "At Jewel-Osco we strive to maintain high animal welfare standards across all areas of business, and work in partnership with our vendors to ensure those standards are upheld," the company stated in a news release Wednesday. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. ", Anna Ortiz is the breaking news/crime reporter for The Times, covering crime, politics, courts and investigative news. The company also promised to increase animal welfare checks and will no longer get dairy from farms that violate its animal abuse policy. The undercover video shows various forms of abuse against the calves. One person seen in the Animal Recovery Mission video was a third-party truck driver who was transporting calves, he said. 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. 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. 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. The Animal Recovery Mission recently released the video, which prompted local law enforcement to launch an investigation. fairlife is committed to the humane and compassionate care of animals. But premium milk comes at a premium price. Driver in ditch nearly 5 times the legal limit, Porter County police say. 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. 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. Fairlife, which is owned by Coca-Cola, quickly cut ties with the dairy farm after the video first went viral. You can read more about the audits that Fairlife pledged to take on the brands website; however, the brand did claim to already have governance measures in place before the investigation, so many customers may find it difficult to trust these new procedures. The new laws will go into effect on July 1. The venue's $20 all-day pass grants access to the farm's public areas, including a birthing barn complete with stadium seating so visitors can watch calves being born. Members worked as employees while wearing a hidden camera. 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 didn't spur it on but we are glad it happened. That manager notified local law enforcement about the drug use and, accordingly, a police report is on file. 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. It was evident to the investigator that it was the normal way to do business at the farm, the document read. However, before ARM released its footage of Fair Oaks, Fairlife had made plenty of claims in regards to animal welfare. "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.". On Monday, the Newton County Sheriff's Office announced that three people have been charged with animal cruelty. 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. Since opening as a tourist attraction in 2004, Fair Oaks Farms has been considered the "Disneyland" of dairy farms. 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. 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.. 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. Richard Couto, 50, founder of Animal Recovery Mission, said the actions depicted at Fair Oaks shocked even their seasoned animal abuse investigators. Then I searched for news on this and was surprised it was from 2019. The Dairy Report 061119. @CocaCola needs to end this partnership & @fairlife needs to take action on there workers and this situation. #boycottfairlife. three times as many greenhouse gas emissions. 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. Those poor calves #boycottfairlife. We apologize for any inconvenience," spokeswoman Mary Frances Trucco told CBS Chicago in an email. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. 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. 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 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. "This is rare," Couto said. 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. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Those wishing to report any suspected animal cruelty can call 219-474-5661 or 219-234-7014, the department's tip line. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. 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). 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. Is the Government Really Paying Farmers to Destroy Crops and Kill Animals? 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. The settlement received preliminary approval by an Illinois federal judge on April 27. 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. That all seems unlikely, since all this happens behind closed doors, and any of those actions could hurt Fairlifes profits. She spends her time monitoring traffic and weather reports, scanning crime logs and reading court documents. You have permission to edit this article. 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. 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. https://t.co/iAybFVJeFg via @Change. 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