Authorities have arrested one of three people charged with animal cruelty following the release of video showing workers kicking and throwing young calves at a northwestern Indiana dairy . 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. 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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. The admission building at Fair Oaks Farm has the phrase "Your Adventure Starts Here" written across the front. Organic dairy farms must also allow their cows to be able to graze outside. It is heartwarming as investigators to see reemerging interest. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Get the free daily newsletter read by industry experts. While some stores stopped carrying Fairlife after the 2019 video, it does not appear to be weighing down the dairy brand today. 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 case was opened following the release of a video by Animal . FARM mandates that all farm employees who handle animals must complete stockmanship training. The Idaho native and University of Idaho grad has been with The Times since 2019. You have permission to edit this article. 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 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. Check out our guides to the most eco-friendly non-dairy milks, the best non-dairy milks for baking, pea milk, pistachio milk, and oat milk. Farmers and ranchers . 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. Fairlife is aware of the lawsuit and, in a statement provided to TODAY, said: "We are aware of the lawsuit and are reviewing it. But premium milk comes at a premium price. The abuse extends to kicking and beating calves, as well as force-feeding them until they can't breath. It is our position that any companies that come in contact with transportation of our animals, should be well-versed in and adhere to our industry's animal welfare practices which can be found in FARM. The Newton . It's a major reason why Coca-Cola acquired the remainder of Fairlife. When it entered the national market in 2014, Fairlife quickly garnered a lot of attention for producing a milk with "superior nutrition." UPDATE: Criminal probe launched into Fair Oaks Farms employees; companies pull products. The brand said it has "significantly strengthened our animal care programs and processes since 2019"through camera monitoring, a third-party animal welfare advisory board and increasing the number of unannounced audits at supplying farms. Reaction was fast and furious when the video was released in June 2019. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. 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, a sprawling dairy farm, was launched in 2004 by Mike and Sue McCloskey, who are also co-founders of Select Milk. For further information on the progress of our commitments, visit http://fairoaksfarmsprogress.com.". STAFF REPORTS. However, this footage was a wake-up call to dairy consumers everywhere. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Fair Oaks, she said, is no longer in its supply chain. The Newton County prosecutors office charged three men accused of abusing young calves at Fair Oaks Farms: Santiago Ruvalcaba Contreros, 31; Edgar Gardozo Vazquez, 36; and Miguel Angel Navarro Serrano, 38. She spends her time monitoring traffic and weather reports, scanning crime logs and reading court documents. 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. 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. 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 . "Isolated incidents such as this are not indicative of how our countrys dairy farm families operate.". It is with a heavy heart that I prepare this statement today. 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). 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. 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. It worked. Unfortunately, the practices seen on Fair Oaks Farm are not uncommon in the dairy industry. Conventionally raised cows may spend the majority of their lives in pens or inside barns in cramped quarters. Let Food Dive's free newsletter keep you informed, straight from your inbox. 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. Please subscribe to keep reading. Fairlife said the company is taking this incident very seriously. In a statement, the company said the dairy production seen in the video makes up less than 5% of Fairlife's milk supply, however in light of the footage's findings, the company will be putting its other dairy sources under a magnifying glass. Fair Oaks Farms said five people in the video were identified and four of them are employees at the farm. May 27 2021, Published 1:51 p.m. There was a problem saving your notification. | 2 p.m. 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. 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. Fairlife dairy gets its milk from Fair Oaks Farms. That case is ongoing. One of the sugars, lactose, is eradicated completely making it safe to drink for those who are lactose intolerant. By Clinton Griffiths June 10, 2019. 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. 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. A Hammond man reported being robbed of guns and cash in Chesterton park, but police have questions. 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. All Rights Reserved. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. FAIR OAKS An audit of the operations of Fair Oaks Farms should likely be completed early next week. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). But that number is rapidly declining, with thousands of smaller dairy farms closing for business over the past two decades. Does Fairlife publicize the audit? Now millions more are becoming aware of these issues.". UPDATE: Search for Suspects in Fair Oaks Farm Investigation. 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. 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. Fair Oaks Farms is a museum, restaurant, gift shop and hotel built around a working dairy farm. The undercover video released by nonprofit ARM shows Fair Oaks Farm employees kicking, throwing, stomping on and hitting cows with plastic 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. "Animal abuse in any form is not tolerated on US dairy farms," said Bjerga. 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. People all over the world were horrified to see evidence of such unnecessary abuse at the farm. Fairlife has invested more than $8 million over the past two years into animal welfare programs and oversight at its supplying farms, Lecas said. "We are proud to report that we have not had another incident on our farm.". "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).". 2019 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. Offers may be subject to change without notice. A Crown Point woman has filed new claims that she has been harmed by animal cruelty at Fair Oaks Farms. Couto's Miami-based Animal Recovery Mission released video last week showing calves at Fair Oaks being thrown into their huts, hit and kicked in the head, dragged by the ears and burned with . 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. The cows shown in the video were not in federally inspected slaughter facilities and therefore not under USDA's authority, a spokesperson said. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, UPDATE: Death of Winfield woman ruled a homicide, coroner says, 2 Illinois men each sentenced to over 90 years for killing of Portage High School student, UPDATE: Parents discovered battered, deceased Winfield woman; remembered as 'amazing' nurse, KFC is bringing back a fan favorite after a nearly 10-year hiatus, UPDATE: Lake Station police investigating possible homicide; suspect in custody, chief says, Crown Point schools release redistricting maps, History Channel's 'American Pickers' coming back to Indiana, looking for people with antiques, Lake County investigators on scene of death investigation in Winfield, sheriff says, Passed-out motorist found with lit marijuana cigarette, Portage police say, 1 million-square-foot, 'once-in-a-lifetime building' walls erected in new business park, Man found dead from gunshot wound in Munster parking lot, coroner says, Lake Station man charged with murder in connection with deadly shooting, Riverfront district moves forward in St. John. The organization also noticed a surge of interest this week in its nearly 3-year-old Fair Oaks investigation. Fair Oaks Farms said five people in the video were identified and four of them are employees at the farm. Cathy Siegner Family Express CEO and founder Gus Olympidis was honored for his distinguished 44-year career in the convenience store business. #DitchDairy #ChooseCompassion @WorldAnimalNews @Peace_4_Animals pic.twitter.com/NVtZVb4Jfb. It is unclear if Fairlife will still get dairy from Fair Oaks Farms, since both are owned by the same man. In addition to the state's laws, the board refers to FARM when it comes to industry standards for handling and care. 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. 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.. The undercover video shows various forms of abuse against the calves. @CocaCola needs to end this partnership & @fairlife needs to take action on there workers and this situation. #boycottfairlife. 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. 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. Please subscribe to keep reading. But unlike the retailers, it plans to stick with Fairlife. One of those men has since been apprehended and arrested. Pending orders of Fairlife products were suspended at Family Express, according to a news release issued by the company. "We apologize to our customers for any inconvenience.". 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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. Cut ties with the supplier? Four employees were fired and a truck driver who worked for a third-party vendor was banned from the farm. Here's a look at the top 5 trending stories on nwi.com yesterday. In addition, Fairlife said they are immediately suspending milk deliveries from the dairy identified in the video. Since opening as a tourist attraction in 2004, Fair Oaks Farms has been considered the "Disneyland" of dairy farms. FAIR OAKS A second video has been released by undercover animal welfare investigators Friday afternoon, showing what the groups says is "an . "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. Copyright 2023 Green Matters. However, as I have stated before, the fact that ARM takes months before notifying owners or authorities regarding on-going animal abuse is concerning. All Rights Reserved. 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. The Animal Recovery Mission claimed Fair Oaks . But this behavior was all observed nearly three years ago so is it still happening? 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. Slashing Methane Emissions by 45 Percent Is Crucial to Avoid Climate Catastrophe and Easy, Says UN Report. Their cows do not receive 'extraordinary care and comfort.' "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 have been flooded with emails to ask if we are still undercover with the dairy industry and asking about Fair Oaks Farms. NEWTON COUNTY One of the three men accused of abusing animals at Fair Oaks Farms is in federal immigration custody, according to police. Temperature readings show it was more than 100 degrees inside their hutches. This video and any future videos will be immediately handed over to the authorities for review and potential prosecution. On June 12, however, new footage was released by Animal Recovery Mission (ARM) purportedly showing Fair Oaks workers punching adult cows, hitting them with metal poles and allegedly breaking the tails of some cows which did not cooperate with employees. The suit alleges that this led many consumers to believe they were were paying a premium for that standard of care. More than a year after an undercover video campaign revealed animal welfare issues at Fair Oaks Farms, experts say there are important lessons to be learned. 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. 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. 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. 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. FAIR OAKS, Ind.- Fair Oaks Farms say they will be putting cameras on properties where they have animals. However, the spokesperson said the USDA is aware of the video and allegations of animal cruelty must be taken seriously. Olivia is the morning cops/breaking news reporter at The Times. 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. 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. 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. 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. Of the five, four were our employees and one was a 3rd party truck driver who was picking up calves. 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. Further cases of animal abuse could provide momentum for animal-free offerings created by precision fermentation. Fairlife, which is owned by Coca-Cola, quickly cut ties with the dairy farm after the video first went viral. 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. I am disappointed for not being aware of this kind of awful treatment occurring and I take full responsibility for what has happened. The public on both sides of the controversial video was passionate about what it saw. 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.". 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. Fair Oaks Farms is based in Fair Oaks, Indiana. 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. The fifth person is a truck driver who works for a third party. The perfect tummy control bodysuit, a popcorn gadget, more bestsellers starting at $8. An undercover video provided by Animal Recovery Mission shows workers allegedly abusing animals at Fair Oaks Farms in Newton County. Ride along with LaPorte Police Specialist Justin Dyer as he patrols the streets of LaPorte. Claims like these inspire people to choose these products, because they believe that they are better. It is with great disappointment to find, after closely reviewing the released ARM video, that there were five individuals committing multiple instances of animal cruelty and despicable judgement.