The undercover video shows various forms of abuse against the calves. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. ", "Going undercover in the dairy industry, we always find the same crimes committed against the animals," he said. It is unclear if Fairlife will still get dairy from Fair Oaks Farms, since both are owned by the same man. 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. Fair Oaks Farm is located in Fair Oaks, right off Interstate 65. Conventionally raised cows may spend the majority of their lives in pens or inside barns in cramped quarters. As a result, cows today produce up to 7 times more milk than their predecessors. 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. But not his teammates. Fairlife milk products are available nationwide. 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 . A recent video shows abuse of animals located on one of the farm's properties. The group released the video documenting the alleged animal abuse nearly a year later. The Idaho native and University of Idaho grad has been with The Times since 2019. Fair Oaks Farm, an agritourism destination, is located in Fair Oaks, off Interstate 65 in Newton County. In a statement to Food Dive, Fairlife said animal welfare is and will always be a top priority." A Crown Point woman has filed new claims that she has been harmed by animal cruelty at Fair Oaks Farms. FAIR OAKS The Newton County prosecutor says a witness has corroborated allegations from a suspect that an animal welfare investigator encour. 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.. Fairlife is aware of the lawsuit and, in a statement provided to TODAY, said: "We are aware of the lawsuit and are reviewing it. "This resulted in extreme pain and suffering by the calves, and in some cases permanent injury and even death," the statement continued. Yet many farmers argue that it's in their best interest to treat their animals humanely. The new laws will go into effect on July 1. 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. FAIR OAKS An audit of the operations of Fair Oaks Farms should likely be completed early next week. Reaction was fast and furious when the video was released in June 2019. 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. Times staff writers Joseph S. Pete and Anna Ortiz contributed to this report. Those found guilty of animal abuse usually face dual penalties of jail time and fines. Richard Couto, 50, founder of Animal Recovery Mission, said the actions depicted at Fair Oaks shocked even their seasoned animal abuse investigators. An undercover video provided by Animal Recovery Mission shows workers allegedly abusing animals at Fair Oaks Farms in Newton County. Fair Oaks Farms releases emotional response over abuse video. She spends her time monitoring traffic and weather reports, scanning crime logs and reading court documents. "Isolated incidents such as this are not indicative of how our countrys dairy farm families operate.". 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. June 7, 2019 / 12:36 PM Slashing Methane Emissions by 45 Percent Is Crucial to Avoid Climate Catastrophe and Easy, Says UN Report. 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 cows shown in the video were not in federally inspected slaughter facilities and therefore not under USDA's authority, a spokesperson said. 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. However, before ARM released its footage of Fair Oaks, Fairlife had made plenty of claims in regards to animal welfare. Copyright 2023 Green Matters. "I think people are starting to understand that and diving into the dairy issue for their own physical health, animal abuse and environmental impact. three times as many greenhouse gas emissions. On June 4, 2019, ARM released disturbing footage of one of its most grueling factory farm investigations. 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. 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. Temperature readings show it was more than 100 degrees inside their hutches. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. No court records were available on the remaining defendants. "We are currently putting actions into place to ensure that this never happens again. There was a problem saving your notification. 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. ET, Webinar Its signature product is a form of ultrafiltered milk that has more protein and less sugar than traditional milk. It is heartwarming as investigators to see reemerging interest. Individuals across the country have been recently resharing the videos, calling for a boycott on Fair Oaks Farms and Fairlife products. The company also promised to increase animal welfare checks and will no longer get dairy from farms that violate its animal abuse policy. There's also a virtual reality lab showing how the farm recycles manure to power its machinery. They are both owned by Mike McCloskey. The abuse extends to kicking and beating calves, as well as force-feeding them until they can't breath. "The response is similar to when we first published the footage on a smaller scale, with the outrage in general. You have permission to edit this article. "We have staff in the farm sites regularly," she said. As they considered what may or may not impact their ability to . The truck driver, who was responsible for picking up the calves, will not be allowed on Fair Oaks Farms again. 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. 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. 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. So far, there is no evidence that this kind of accusation creates long-term harm for the brands involved. Driver in ditch nearly 5 times the legal limit, Porter County police say. He said sometimes videos from former investigations will resurface years later but the scope of this reemergence is fairly significant. Those wishing to report any suspected animal cruelty can call 219-474-5661 or 219-234-7014, the department's tip line. The undercover video released by nonprofit ARM shows Fair Oaks Farm employees kicking, throwing, stomping on and hitting cows with plastic bottles. 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 . 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. That manager notified local law enforcement about the drug use and, accordingly, a police report is on file. "The expos of animal abuse in the Fair Oaks Farm network is chilling. Olivia is the morning cops/breaking news reporter at The Times. On Monday, the Newton County Sheriff's Office announced that three people have been charged with animal cruelty. FAIR OAKS, Ind. The calves appeared to stay in filthy, overcrowded and hot conditions. 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. 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. STAFF REPORTS. The dairy sector has seen its share of them. Green Matters is a registered trademark. The Animal Recovery Mission claimed Fair Oaks . Its not the farm, its the industry, Couto said. 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. A report from a series of focus groups done by precision fermentation startup Formo, Fordham University and Mercy For Animals released in February showed consumers are very enthusiastic and curious about animal-free dairy, with animal welfare being the reason they most want to consume it. 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. Fairlife has invested more than $8 million over the past two years into animal welfare programs and oversight at its supplying farms, Lecas said. Offers may be subject to change without notice. We apologize for any inconvenience," spokeswoman Mary Frances Trucco told CBS Chicago in an email. Fairlife, which is owned by Coca-Cola, quickly cut ties with the dairy farm after the video first went viral. 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. Soon after the footage came out, many consumers vowed to boycott Fairlife, and buy milk from otherdairy brands instead. 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. "We acknowledge the need for humane treatment of animals and the need to hold individuals that have gone beyond an acceptable farm management practice accountable for their actions," says a release from the department. As we shared last week, we are taking immediate actions to ensure our high standards of animal welfare are being executed at each of our supplying farms.". It's a major reason why Coca-Cola acquired the remainder of Fairlife. "None of them have ever seen anything close to what was depicted on the video, even when performing their duties in the calf areas.". Let Food Dive's free newsletter keep you informed, straight from your inbox. Three former employees who were seen kicking and throwing calves in the first video released by ARM were charged with animal cruelty last week. 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. While the videos and ensuing lawsuits cast negative attention on the Fairlife brand, it has done little to slow its momentum. 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According to the USDA, cows raised on organic farms may not be given growth hormones of any type. Pittsburgh woman missing for 31 years found alive in Puerto Rico, Alex Murdaugh found guilty of murders of wife and son. It also generally costs more. Fair Oaks Farms said that people were harassing the business and its staff via phone calls, messages, social media and in person during deliveries. 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. 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.. 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. 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. 2 men found drugged after leaving NYC gay bars were killed, medical examiner says. Yesterdays protest outside of @CocaCola headquarters in #Atlanta urging them to drop @Fairlife milk products following @ARMInvestigatios undercover expos of horrific #calf abuse. 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 Dairy Report 061119. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Five workers in the video were identified as participating in the alleged abuse. 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. One exception is Chobani, which last week said it was ending the production of its Chobani Ultra-Filtered Milk,which launched in February. I am disappointed for not being aware of this kind of awful treatment occurring and I take full responsibility for what has happened. The form however, doesn't specifically define what constitutes abuse. And if you want to take further action, ARM's website has several suggestions for how to get involved. Consumer fraud lawsuits were filed across the country against Fairlife and later consolidated in Chicago federal court. 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. The undercover videos and ARM's animal abuse report on Fair Oaks Farms since had a snowball effect on the company. 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). NEWTON COUNTY One of the three men accused of abusing animals at Fair Oaks Farms is in federal immigration custody, according to police. Please enter valid email address to continue. Fair Oaks Political Reaction 061019. "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. Ensuring that the animals who provide fairlife dairy products are cared for and cared about is a top priority for fairlife, reads Fairlifes website, while Fair Oaks Farms claims to be "committed to caring for our animals.". The fourth was fired Tuesday, according to Fair Oaks Farms. 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. @CocaCola needs to end this partnership & @fairlife needs to take action on there workers and this situation. #boycottfairlife. A cemetery posted a personal ad for a goose whose mate died. Unfortunately, the fourth employee's animal abuse was not caught at that same time. 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. Dozens of new signatures popped up on a 2-year-old Change.org petition calling on retailers to drop Fairlife for using Fair Oaks as a supplier, and thousands shared the video. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. 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. 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. 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. In addition, Fairlife said they are immediately suspending milk deliveries from the dairy identified in the video. Please feel free to contact me if you have any comments or questions. Was able to make it through 15 seconds of that fairlife video I will never understand how anyone could hurt an animal. 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 law enforcement. Fair Oaks Farms said five people in the video were identified and four of them are employees at the farm. "We apologize to our customers for any inconvenience.". But conventionally raised cows may be given both growth hormones and antibiotics, regardless of whether they are sick. The organization also noticed a surge of interest this week in its nearly 3-year-old Fair Oaks investigation. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. 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. 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. However, this footage was a wake-up call to dairy consumers everywhere. Unfortunately, the practices seen on Fair Oaks Farm are not uncommon in the dairy industry. ARMs Fairlife investigation proved that there is no way to truly know what is happening behind a farm's closed doors. Family Express CEO and founder Gus Olympidis was honored for his distinguished 44-year career in the convenience store business. fairlife is committed to the humane and compassionate care of animals. Lawsuits are a part of the regular course of business in today's food and beverage industry. Now, as we come up on the two-year anniversary of the Fairlife milk animal abuse controversy, many are wondering exactly what happened at Fair Oaks Farms, why exactly people are boycotting Fairlife, and what they can do to stop animal abuse. "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.