However, this footage was a wake-up call to dairy consumers everywhere. This video and any future videos will be immediately handed over to the authorities for review and potential prosecution. Then I searched for news on this and was surprised it was from 2019. The controversy led to businesses dropping Fairlife products, including Stack & Van Til, Jewel-Osco and Tonys Fresh Market. 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. Fair Oaks Farms releases emotional response over abuse video. Derrer told TODAY that prior to the first video's release, her office had never received a complaint about Fair Oaks Farms. It is unclear if Fairlife will still get dairy from Fair Oaks Farms, since both are owned by the same man. Fairlife, which is owned by Coca-Cola, quickly cut ties with the dairy farm after the video first went viral. Those poor calves #boycottfairlife. 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. The video posts also appear to show drug possession and use by farm employees. Their cows do not receive 'extraordinary care and comfort.' Provide medical care or rehab for the injured or sick cows? 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. @CocaCola needs to end this partnership & @fairlife needs to take action on there workers and this situation. #boycottfairlife. But that number is rapidly declining, with thousands of smaller dairy farms closing for business over the past two decades. 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. 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. 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.". There was a problem saving your notification. Sour Milk. 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. 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. So, in this instance our policy of cow care training "see something, say something" worked. Coca-Cola said in a statement that it takes animal welfare seriously and expects "suppliers to operate with the highest degree of integrity and comply with all laws, including animal welfare laws." 2 men found drugged after leaving NYC gay bars were killed, medical examiner says. 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 . A recent video shows abuse of animals located on one of the farm's properties. In a statement to Food Dive, Fairlife said animal welfare is and will always be a top priority." 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. 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. 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. FAIR OAKS The Newton County prosecutor says a witness has corroborated allegations from a suspect that an animal welfare investigator encour, Ford is expanding its workforce again at the Chicago Assembly Plant on the banks of the Calumet River, just across the state line in Hegewisch. 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ET, 2019 incident in which undercover videos of animal abuse, surpassed $1 billion in annual retail sales, ending the production of its Chobani Ultra-Filtered Milk, some stores stopped carrying Fairlife after the 2019 video, a 2021 report from the World Animal Protection and Compassion in World Farming, consumers are very enthusiastic and curious about animal-free dairy, Fairlife, Coca-Cola sued after animal abuse videos exposed at suppliers dairy farm, How FDA stopped the momentum for CBD in food and drink, Inside PepsiCos strategy to grow its iconic $21B snacking portfolio, Coca-Cola debuts transformation-flavored soda in its latest limited-time offering, Eat Just laying off 18% of workers with cuts impacting plant-based egg business, Daiyas new fermentation technology promises improved plant-based cheese, Meati hires CPG veterans for supply chain and operations, A Foodmakers Guide to Elevating Alternative Proteins, Whats Ahead for Plant-Based Foods in 2023 and Beyond, Preparing Your Business in Times of Economic Downturn, General Mills, Kellogg, Post Holdings threaten legal action over alarming FDA healthy label proposals, Beer Drinkers Cut Back as Bud Brewer AB InBev Raises Prices, Heinz is giving the ketchup boat guy a new ship after he survived on the sauce for 24 days lost at sea, The AI Solution for Sustainability and Supply Chain Ease, How Visibility Technology Can Mitigate Cargo Theft and Security Risk, The Real ROI of Digital Dock Scheduling Software, Best Practices for Improving Food and Beverage Product Quality with ERP, Motif FoodWorks enters molecular farming partnership to produce its heme ingredient. 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. ARMs Fairlife investigation proved that there is no way to truly know what is happening behind a farm's closed doors. Times staff writers Joseph S. Pete and Anna Ortiz contributed to this report. On Wednesday, the company issued a new statement on its Facebook page taking "full responsibility" for the matter. 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. The Dairy Report 061119. It didn't come from us.". In January 2020, Coca-Cola bought out its partners to take full ownership of Fairlife. While some stores stopped carrying Fairlife after the 2019 video, it does not appear to be weighing down the dairy brand today. 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. 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. Alan Bjerga insists that the U.S. dairy community takes the kinds of videos released by ARM very seriously and that it will not be forgotten anytime soon. 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. 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. "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. FAIR OAKS The Newton County prosecutor says a witness has corroborated allegations from a suspect that an animal welfare investigator encour. You have permission to edit this article. The most-read stories on NWI.com during the past week. 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. 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. We anticipate cooperation from both parties in this matter during this investigation.". 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. "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.". 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. Offers may be subject to change without notice. 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. A factor in our decision was the public response by Fair Oaks, asserting the notion that this was an isolated incident," the company said in a release. 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. Caitlin O'Kane is a digital content producer covering trending stories for CBS News and its good news brand, The Uplift. He said sometimes videos from former investigations will resurface years later but the scope of this reemergence is fairly significant. (WTHR) The Newton County Sheriff's Office has charged three people in connection with the Fair Oaks Farms animal abuse video. 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.. 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. ET 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. There is likely still animal cruelty on Fairlife's farms in 2021. For further information on the progress of our commitments, visit http://fairoaksfarmsprogress.com.". Because of these laws, there is no way to know for sure what is going on at Fairlifes farms. "I guarantee you that this will never happen again at Fair Oaks Farms.". 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. That manager notified local law enforcement about the drug use and, accordingly, a police report is on file. 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. 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. 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. Critics of dairy operations, such as Mercy for Animals, PETA and The Humane Society of the U.S., maintain . Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. It was evident to the investigator that it was the normal way to do business at the farm, the document read. With that said, I am disappointed to learn of potential drug use on our properties. Offers may be subject to change without notice. | 11 a.m. 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. Fairlife has admitted that the calves seen in the undercover footage taken at Fair Oaks Farms were mistreated. There is also footage of calves left in. 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. Family Express, the Valparaiso-based chain of convenience stores and gas stations, was named the best convenience store in the state of Indiana. Is the Government Really Paying Farmers to Destroy Crops and Kill Animals? The Idaho native and University of Idaho grad has been with The Times since 2019. 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 milk products are available nationwide. He said on Friday, ARM will release another video he described as an hour and a half of consistent abuse.. However, as I have stated before, the fact that ARM takes months before notifying owners or authorities regarding on-going animal abuse is concerning. On Monday, the Newton County Sheriff's Office announced that three people have been charged with animal cruelty. Fair Oaks, a sprawling dairy farm, was launched in 2004 by Mike and Sue McCloskey, who are also co-founders of Select Milk. 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.". Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Footage shows Fair Oaks Farms workers dragging calves by their ears, throwing them into small plastic enclosures and hitting them with milk bottles. By Clinton Griffiths June 10, 2019. 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. Fairlife said it hasimmediately suspend deliveries and will provide more animal welfare training for employees. That case is ongoing. You have permission to edit this article. A University of Oxford study found that on average, cows milk produces about three times as many greenhouse gas emissions than vegan milks. Get the free daily newsletter read by industry experts. 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. The abuse extends to kicking and beating calves, as well as force-feeding them until they can't breath. 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. Fortunately, there are endless options when it comes to non-dairy milk, chocolate milk, yogurt, protein shakes, and more. People are starting to do their own homework on this. A dozen Chicago-area grocers pulled Fairlife from their shelves amid widespread backlash. Individuals across the country have been recently resharing the videos, calling for a boycott on Fair Oaks Farms and Fairlife products. A recent video shows abuse of animals located on one of the farm's properties. While Fairlifes investigation went far more viral than any other undercover footage from a dairy farm has, there have been many other videos and documentaries revealing animal cruelty across the dairy industry and animal agriculture industry as a whole. 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. "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. Topics covered: R&D, flavor trends, health & nutrition, scientific discoveries, new ingredients, and much more. As a result, cows today produce up to 7 times more milk than their predecessors. Not to mention, the treatment of cows described by ARMs investigator is, unfortunately, standard practice across the dairy industry. 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. 2019 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. On June 4, 2019, ARM released disturbing footage of one of its most grueling factory farm investigations. All Rights Reserved. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Couto supported the renewed calls for boycotting Fairlife, but said his target is much bigger the dairy industry at large. Its not the farm, its the industry, Couto said. FAIR OAKS An audit of the operations of Fair Oaks Farms should likely be completed early next week. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Fairlife is aware of the lawsuit and, in a statement provided to TODAY, said: "We are aware of the lawsuit and are reviewing it. 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.". Driver in ditch nearly 5 times the legal limit, Porter County police say. Please feel free to contact me if you have any comments or questions. Fairlife has advertised itself as being high-nutrition, ethically sourced milk, with labels stating that exceptional care was taken "every step of the way," from milking the cows to bottling the final product. As ARM noted, both Fair Oaks Farms and Fairlife have built their brands around animal welfare. Employees were observed slapping, kicking, punching, pushing, throwing and slamming calves, ARM said in a statement at the time, as per TODAY. 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. Coca-Cola and other parties agreed to pay $21 million to settle lawsuits for falsely advertising their Fairlife ultra-filtered milk came from humanely treated cows. UPDATE: Criminal probe launched into Fair Oaks Farms employees; companies pull products. 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. Fair Oaks Political Reaction 061019. "This is hardly the response you would expect from an organization that gets it. Farmers and ranchers . We have been flooded with emails to ask if we are still undercover with the dairy industry and asking about Fair Oaks Farms. "With recent events involving Fair Oaks Farms, Strack & Van Til will be removing all Fair Oaks and related products until further notice," he said. Indiana State Veterinarian Bret D. Marsh, DVM, has directed BOAH staff to collaborate with local law enforcement regarding any appropriate next steps they may take.. The actions depicted on the Animal Recovery Mission video are unacceptable, a USDA spokesperson said. The statement that we grow and sell drugs on our farms is false. Our world revolves around making sure that our cows are fed well, treated humanely and live in comfortable, stress-free conditions.. Slashing Methane Emissions by 45 Percent Is Crucial to Avoid Climate Catastrophe and Easy, Says UN Report. NEWTON COUNTY One of the three men accused of abusing animals at Fair Oaks Farms is in federal immigration custody, according to police. The video was filmed by a member of Animal Recovery Mission, who got a job at Fair Oaks Farms and went undercover as an employee from August to November of last year, CBS Chicago reports. Its signature product is a form of ultrafiltered milk that has more protein and less sugar than traditional milk. (Mykal McEldowney/IndyStar) 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. The plants featured in the video are an invasive perennial species that is rampant on farms all over the midwest. "We are currently putting actions into place to ensure that this never happens again. "Since then, 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," the company said. 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. 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. 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.