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. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Cathy Siegner 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. Fair Oaks Farms animal abuse: After video exposes abuse at Fair Oaks 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. Yet many farmers argue that it's in their best interest to treat their animals humanely. There's also a virtual reality lab showing how the farm recycles manure to power its machinery. 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. Fairlife, Coca-Cola sued after animal abuse videos exposed at supplier Coworkers caught. Four employees were fired and a truck driver who worked for a third-party vendor was banned from the farm. three times as many greenhouse gas emissions. "This is rare," Couto said. Mike Withers has returned as president of Jewel-Osco after the last president stepped down after little more than a year in the job. The case was opened following the release of a video by Animal . UPDATE: Criminal probe launched into Fair Oaks Farms employees; companies pull products. A Crown Point, Indiana, woman filed a federal lawsuit Thursday against Fair Oaks Farms, saying the company misled consumers who bought its milk at prices higher than . It is unclear if Fairlife will still get dairy from Fair Oaks Farms, since both are owned by the same man. One of those men has since been apprehended and arrested. The fourth was fired Tuesday, according to Fair Oaks Farms. 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. While the review came back favorable, I am not letting my guard down and will institute more thorough monitoring and training so that this abuse can never happen again. 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. The company's response to the first video as well as multiple grocers' quick removal of Fairlife products has signaled a change in public reaction where animals bred for dairy or even meat are concerned. "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. 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. On June 4, 2019, ARM released disturbing footage of one of its most grueling factory farm investigations. In case you need a refresher, heres a recap of the Fairlife investigation. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Conventionally raised cows may spend the majority of their lives in pens or inside barns in cramped quarters. 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. 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. 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. One of my friends on Facebook shared it. 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. , https://t.co/F5bRlpWmVD This had to be the most disgusting & disturbing thing Ive watched. One cup of Fairlife 2% milk has 120 calories, 6 grams of sugar, 4.5 grams of fat, 13 grams of protein and 40% of the daily recommended amount of calcium. Provided. There is also footage of calves left in. 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. The perfect tummy control bodysuit, a popcorn gadget, more bestsellers starting at $8. When animals fall within our authorities, USDA acts to prevent animal cruelty such as this. The group released the video documenting the alleged animal abuse nearly a year later. One person seen in the Animal Recovery Mission video was a third-party truck driver who was transporting calves, he said. 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 farm, which still has a 4.5-star rating on TripAdvisor, welcomes about 500,000 visitors annually. / CBS News. 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. There was a problem saving your notification. "We've been trying to figure out where this regeneration of the videos has come from. "This is a much greater investigation and it's still ongoing," Couto said. 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. Let Food Dive's free newsletter keep you informed, straight from your inbox. 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. First published on June 7, 2019 / 12:36 PM. The form however, doesn't specifically define what constitutes abuse. 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 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. All Rights Reserved. Fair Oaks, she said, is no longer in its supply chain. In November 2019, The Times reported that at least eight federal lawsuits had been filed against Fairlifefrom across the country, including California, Florida and Indiana. Fair Oaks Political Reaction 061019. Boycott Fairlife Milk - Sign the Petition! The company also promised to increase animal welfare checks and will no longer get dairy from farms that violate its animal abuse policy. "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. Five workers in the video were identified as participating in the alleged abuse. The minimizing of the graphic animal cruelty offers little assurance of change in a culture that is likely in need of fundamental retooling.". "Animal abuse in any form is not tolerated on US dairy farms," said Bjerga. Ditching dairy is not only a good move for animal welfare, but also for the environment. Footage shows Fair Oaks Farms workers dragging calves by their ears, throwing them into small plastic enclosures and hitting them with milk bottles. 219-933-4194, anna.ortiz@nwi.com. Fair Oaks Farms has emotional response to abuse video - AGDAILY (Mykal McEldowney/IndyStar) 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. 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. You can cancel at any time. 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. In the initial statement issued Tuesday on social media, Fair Oaks founder Mike McCloskey said four of the people shown committing alleged abuses were Fair Oaks Farms employees and each had been or were being fired. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. 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 above suit has been transferred to the U.S. Northern District of Illinois courts and the case is ongoing. "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. On June 4, 2019, videos depicting employees abusing calves were released by ARM following an undercover investigation by the animal rights group. They must also sign the Dairy Cattle Care Ethics Agreement on an annual basis. FAIR OAKS An audit of the operations of Fair Oaks Farms should likely be completed early next week. 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.". All Rights Reserved. The product delivery arm of Fair Oaks Farms, Fresh Delivery, is suspending service for a week "to stand with the farm and for the safety of th, FAIR OAKS The Newton County Sheriff's Office has identified three of the men accused of abusing young calves at Fair Oaks Farms, according t, Police are looking for a suspicious man who reportedly approached children at Griffith's Central Park Monday, calling one to come to him and a, 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. 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. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. 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. Nearly 50,000 people read a 2-year-old Chicago Tribune story on the alleged animal abuse at Fair Oaks over two days. In January 2020, Coca-Cola bought out its partners to take full ownership of Fairlife. Couto said the next video will allegedly show conversations the undercover investigator had with management acknowledging animal abuse. 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. Couto said the videos have now been going viral across all social media platforms, including newer sites like TikTok. "The response is similar to when we first published the footage on a smaller scale, with the outrage in general. He said on Friday, ARM will release another video he described as an hour and a half of consistent abuse.. It was evident to the investigator that it was the normal way to do business at the farm, the document read. Olivia is the morning cops/breaking news reporter at The Times. Fair Oaks Farms was the worst abuse towards newborn babies that I have ever seen, Couto said Thursday. This video and any future videos will be immediately handed over to the authorities for review and potential prosecution. Richard Couto, 50, founder of Animal Recovery Mission, said the actions depicted at Fair Oaks shocked even their seasoned animal abuse investigators. The result is a milk with more protein and calcium, and less fat and sugar, than conventional milk. 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. Soon after the footage came out, many consumers vowed to boycott Fairlife, and buy milk from otherdairy brands instead. Approximately 98% of the country's milk supply is represented through the National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM), a program that sets animal care standards for participating farms. 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. UPDATE: Criminal probe launched into Fair Oaks Farms employees Watch new video documenting more animal abuse at Fair Oaks Farms Founded in 2012, the ultra-filtered dairy brand announced earlier this year it surpassed $1 billion in annual retail sales. Caitlin O'Kane is a digital content producer covering trending stories for CBS News and its good news brand, The Uplift. The impact of coronavirus and circumstances arising from 2019 have led to the termination of three major executive positions at Fair Oaks Farm. "Weve always known that the better you treat an animal, the happier and more productive she is," Fair Oaks Farms founder and owner Mike McCloskey said in a 2015 article. 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.". Mike McCloskey, owner of Fair Oaks, released a video Thursday apologizing after an und The suit alleges that this led many consumers to believe they were were paying a premium for that standard of care. The fifth person is a truck driver who works for a third party. "We apologize to our customers for any inconvenience.". On Wednesday, the company issued a new statement on its Facebook page taking "full responsibility" for the matter. One exception is Chobani, which last week said it was ending the production of its Chobani Ultra-Filtered Milk,which launched in February. FAIR OAKS The Newton County Sheriff's Department has requested the names of former Fair Oaks Farms employees shown abusing young calves inavideo released by an animal rights organizationTuesday, according to a department news release. "The expos of animal abuse in the Fair Oaks Farm network is chilling. I am disappointed for not being aware of this kind of awful treatment occurring and I take full responsibility for what has happened. The calves appeared to stay in filthy, overcrowded and hot conditions. Times staff writers Joseph S. Pete and Anna Ortiz contributed to this report. 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 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. Since opening as a tourist attraction in 2004, Fair Oaks Farms has been considered the "Disneyland" of dairy farms. Coca-Cola and others agree to $21M settlement for Fairlife animal abuse 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. A Crown Point woman has filed new claims that she has been harmed by animal cruelty at Fair Oaks Farms. Fair Oaks Farms reports no further incidents following reemergence of Fairlife milk pulled from store shelves amid animal abuse video - TODAY 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. Fair Oaks Farms said five people in the video were identified and four of them are employees at the farm. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Fairlife has since "discontinued the use of milk from Fair Oaks Farms" in its products. In response to the video, local grocery store chain Jewel-Osco said it was removing all Fairlife products that come from Fair Oaks Farms from its stores. Fair Oaks Farms said that people were harassing the business and its staff via phone calls, messages, social media and in person during deliveries. I have personally reached out to ARM's founder, Richard Couto, to discuss a more symbiotic relationship but he has yet to reach back. They are both owned by Mike McCloskey. Fairlife has admitted that the calves seen in the undercover footage taken at Fair Oaks Farms were mistreated. No court records were available on the remaining defendants. Fair Oaks Farm, an agritourism destination, is located in Fair Oaks, off Interstate 65 in Newton County. 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. 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. The public on both sides of the controversial video was passionate about what it saw. An undercover video provided by Animal Recovery Mission shows workers allegedly abusing animals at Fair Oaks Farms in Newton County. Individuals across the country have been recently resharing the videos, calling for a boycott on Fair Oaks Farms and Fairlife products. Other premium brands, including A2, have been a hit with consumers. It's located in Fair Oaks, Ind., just off I-65, about 109 miles north of Indianapolis and. On Tuesday, the sheriff's office disclosed the suspects' names. In the late 1990s, three dairy producers sat in the cab of a pickup contemplating the future of their farms. After watching the video, the board reviewed compliance records and logs for Fair Oaks Farms and has since been directed to cooperate with authorities. Coca-Cola buys Fairlife, impressed by brand's response to animal abuse 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. But conventionally raised cows may be given both growth hormones and antibiotics, regardless of whether they are sick. As a result, cows today produce up to 7 times more milk than their predecessors. Please subscribe to keep reading. Animal Welfare Experts | Video Update | Fair Oaks Farms A Hammond man reported being robbed of guns and cash in Chesterton park, but police have questions. Dead calves were dumped in mass grave sites by employees, the video shows. 2-year-old animal abuse video goes viral again, renewing calls to Laws vary by state, but many, like Indiana, stipulate that dairy farms undergo a government-led inspection at least twice a year. Fair Oaks Farms is based in Fair Oaks, Indiana. Animal Recovery Mission also alleges supervisors and owners at the farm were aware of the conditions and took part in the abuse. WATCH VIDEO Pittsburgh woman missing for 31 years found alive in Puerto Rico, Alex Murdaugh found guilty of murders of wife and son. But this behavior was all observed nearly three years ago so is it still happening? As explained by the Animal Legal & Historical Center, ag-gag laws were actually first instituted in response to undercover activists, and these laws are the governments way of protecting the meat, dairy, and egg industries (which makes sense, since the U.S. government gives tens of billions of dollars in subsidies to the animal agriculture industry every year). "But Fairlifes and its founders 'promise' is a sham. Claims like these inspire people to choose these products, because they believe that they are better. FAIR OAKS Fair Oaks Farms founder Mike McCloskey says he was unaware calves were being sold to the veal industry, citing a lack of communica. As a veterinarian whose life and work is dedicated to the care, comfort and safety of all animals, this has affected me deeply. @CocaCola needs to end this partnership & @fairlife needs to take action on there workers and this situation. #boycottfairlife. 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. Couto supported the renewed calls for boycotting Fairlife, but said his target is much bigger the dairy industry at large. "At Jewel-Osco we strive to maintain high animal welfare standards across all areas of our business and work in partnership with our vendors to ensure those standards are upheld. 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. 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 . We apologize for any inconvenience," spokeswoman Mary Frances Trucco told CBS Chicago in an email.
