The most-read stories on NWI.com during the past week. The fifth person is a truck driver who works for a third party. But somebody shared the video recently on Facebook and it caught fire again, putting Fairlife and Fair Oaks back on the hot seat. Fairlife has admitted that the calves seen in the undercover footage taken at Fair Oaks Farms were mistreated. 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. 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 fourth was fired Tuesday, according to Fair Oaks Farms. ", Richard Couto, founder of Animal Recovery Mission, said the footage released on Tuesday was the tip of the iceberg. The public on both sides of the controversial video was passionate about what it saw. Ex-Fair Oaks Farms worker gets probation for abusing calves A man accused of abusing calves on the large northwestern Indiana farm has been sentenced to a year of probation after a felony. Pending orders of Fairlife products were suspended at Family Express, according to a news release issued by the company. 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. 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. The Animal Recovery Mission recently released the video, which prompted local law enforcement to launch an investigation. 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. 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. "This is rare," Couto said. 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. ", "Defendants preyed on consumer desire for dairy products sourced from farms that ensure high levels of animal welfare by making animal welfare claims a central tenet of their labeling campaign," one of the lawsuits alleges. Advancements in reproductive technology have led to more calves being born on farms today, and most conventionally raised cows are now fed a diet of grain versus grass. Four employees were fired and a truck driver who worked for a third-party vendor was banned from the farm. "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. After all, it's their product and their livelihood at risk since most calves sell for between $500 - $1,000. 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 . Critics of dairy operations, such as Mercy for Animals, PETA and The Humane Society of the U.S., maintain . The plants featured in the video are an invasive perennial species that is rampant on farms all over the midwest. That manager notified local law enforcement about the drug use and, accordingly, a police report is on file. 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 . 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. A Hammond man reported being robbed of guns and cash in Chesterton park, but police have questions. 2019 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. A Crown Point woman has filed new claims that she has been harmed by animal cruelty at Fair Oaks Farms. I am disappointed for not being aware of this kind of awful treatment occurring and I take full responsibility for what has happened. 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. "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. In case you need a refresher, heres a recap of the Fairlife investigation. Consumer fraud lawsuits were filed across the country against Fairlife and later consolidated in Chicago federal court. All Rights Reserved. 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. 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). You have permission to edit this article. The minimizing of the graphic animal cruelty offers little assurance of change in a culture that is likely in need of fundamental retooling.". tens of billions of dollars in subsidies to the animal agriculture industry, standard practice across the dairy industry. FAIR OAKS A second video has been released by undercover animal welfare investigators Friday afternoon, showing what the groups says is "an . In the wake of two videos being released showing animals being abused at Fair Oaks Farms in Indiana, Fairlife Dairy has issued multiple apologies following the controversy. It worked. 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. Caitlin O'Kane is a digital content producer covering trending stories for CBS News and its good news brand, The Uplift. 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. Copyright 2023 Green Matters. We are proud to report that we have not had another incident on our farm.. While Fairlife has cut ties with Fair Oaks, Couto said eliminating one supplier doesnt eliminate the problem. Below is McCloskey's full statement for Fair Oaks Farms: This morning I was made aware of an animal abuse video that the group Animal Recovery Mission (ARM) produced and has released to the public and the press. Fair Oaks Farms is the largest dairy farm in Indiana with 37,000 cows, TODAY reported. One of my friends on Facebook shared it. And if you want to take further action, ARM's website has several suggestions for how to get involved. , https://t.co/F5bRlpWmVD This had to be the most disgusting & disturbing thing Ive watched. Fairlife has invested more than $8 million over the past two years into animal welfare programs and oversight at its supplying farms, Lecas said. 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. Calumet City mayor taken to hospital after 4-vehicle crash, COVID-19, fallout from animal abuse charges lead to departure of 3 executives at Fair Oaks Farms, document says, New lawsuit filed against Fair Oaks Farms, Ex-Fair Oaks Farms worker gets probation for abusing calves, Plaintiffs suing Fairlife seek class-action status for alleged animal abuse at Fair Oaks Farms, Man accused of abuse at Fair Oaks Farms in ICE custody, police say, Animal welfare group calls claims of investigators encouraging abuse at Fair Oaks Farms 'incredibly false', Moscow reportedly threatened new parents in Ukraine: Register your newborns as Russian or else, The impact of climate change will be felt worse in these three U.S. cities, Scientists reveal hidden corridor in Great Pyramid of Giza, Greece train crash: Public anger grows as death toll rises. A cemetery posted a personal ad for a goose whose mate died. We immediately stopped accepting milk from them after learning about the incident and dont accept milk from them today.. "Furthermore, we requested this be elevated to the attorney general of the State of Indiana.". By Clinton Griffiths June 10, 2019. Fair Oaks Farms representatives said Saturday no other incidents have happened since the videos were released in 2019. Now millions more are becoming aware of these issues.". They are both owned by Mike McCloskey. 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. Nearly 50,000 people read a 2-year-old Chicago Tribune story on the alleged animal abuse at Fair Oaks over two days. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Topics covered: R&D, flavor trends, health & nutrition, scientific discoveries, new ingredients, and much more. FAIR OAKS An audit of the operations of Fair Oaks Farms should likely be completed early next week. 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. IE 11 is not supported. But not his teammates. 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. Unfortunately, the fourth employee's animal abuse was not caught at that same time. In January 2020, Coca-Cola bought out its partners to take full ownership of Fairlife. Fair Oaks Farms was a popular place Since opening as a tourist attraction in 2004, Fair Oaks Farms has been considered the "Disneyland" of dairy farms. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. The video was brought to the attention of The Indiana State Board of Animal Health on Tuesday through social media, news stories and concerned citizens, according to Denise Derrer, the board's public information director. 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. Five workers in the video were identified as participating in the alleged abuse. 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