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Video shows abuse of milk cows at second Fair Oaks farm in Indiana, animal welfare group says

Posted at 10:40 AM, Jun 12, 2019
and last updated 2019-06-13 22:46:52-04

FAIR OAKS, Ind. — A Florida-based animal welfare group released new video Wednesday showing abuse to milk cows at a second farm in Indiana owned and operated by Fair Oaks Farms .

Undercover video captured employees beating cows onto the milking line and snapping their tails when they refuse to move. It also shows workers forcing injured cows and cows who have just given birth onto the milking lines.

Along with its joint venture with the Coca-Cola Company, Fairlife entered into an exclusive partnership with Chick-fil-A to create their Greek Yogurt Parfait in 2015. In a quote taken directly from the Fair Oaks Farms website, it states “Fairlife products made from Fair Oaks Farms milk." Fair Oaks Farms and Fairlife Corporation both created brands based on promising and promoting the humane care of the cows from whom their products are sourced. The Fairlife website states, “As dairy farmers, we treat our cows with the utmost care, because we know that their health and happiness are the foundation of our business”.

Non-profit group Animal Recovery Mission released video earlier this month showing abuse to calves at another Fair Oaks Farms location.That video was taken by ARM during an undercover investigation between August and November 2018 after one of their investigators was hired as a calf care employee at the Fair Oaks Farms Prairies Edge North Barn.

The farm is a popular tourist attraction off of I-65 between Indianapolis and Chicago, and offers tours of their dairy operations to visitors and student field trips.

Undercover video captured employees throwing calves in and out of their huts, calves kicked and slammed to the ground andreb a worker sitting on top of a calf.

The investigator also witnessed calves being stabbed and beaten with steel rebars, hit in the mouth and face with hard plastic milking bottles, and faces and bodies burned with hot branding irons, according to ARM.

Read the full ARM report from the first released incident here .

“Fair Oaks Farms Dairy Adventure operators educate their guests that dairy cows on their farms enjoy comfort and relaxation due to their innovative carousel milking system. This couldn't be further from the truth. The Fair Oaks Farms and Fairlife adult cows live in sheer misery. Deprived of simple medical care, aid, and any form of compassion, the mother cows live sad, painful lives in the hands of Fairlife. Fairlife and the dairy industry are the last true concentration camps left on earth.”
Richard “Kudo” Couto, ARM Founder

Fiar Oaks Farm owner and founder Dr. Mike McCloskey offered an emotional video response on June 5. Watch his response in the video below.