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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 . 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. But that number is rapidly declining, with thousands of smaller dairy farms closing for business over the past two decades. Fairlife is aware of the lawsuit and, in a statement provided to TODAY, said: "We are aware of the lawsuit and are reviewing it. As they considered what may or may not impact their ability to . "This is hardly the response you would expect from an organization that gets it. And I watched the video, said Diane Mason, a reader from Melbourne, Florida, who reached out to the Tribune by email Thursday. Fair Oaks Farms owner apologizes for abuse video, pledges changes The controversy led to businesses dropping Fairlife products, including Stack & Van Til, Jewel-Osco and Tonys Fresh Market. Fair Oaks Farms is the largest dairy farm in Indiana with 37,000 cows, TODAY reported. We didn't spur it on but we are glad it happened. https://t.co/iAybFVJeFg via @Change. 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. 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.. Please subscribe to keep reading. The undercover video shows various forms of abuse against the calves. "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. Months ago, the individual seen smoking by the barn and doing drugs in a truck was turned in by his co-workers to one of our managers. I was exhausted., Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. "We acknowledge the need for humane treatment of animals and the need to hold individuals that have gone beyond an acceptable farm management practice accountable for their actions," says a release from the department. ", Richard Couto, founder of Animal Recovery Mission, said the footage released on Tuesday was the tip of the iceberg. A recent video shows abuse of animals located on one of the farm's properties. People are starting to do their own homework on this. 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. Other premium brands, including A2, have been a hit with consumers. In June 2019, ARM published a video (warning it's brutal) of the investigators most shocking footage, which quickly went viral. Conventionally raised cows may spend the majority of their lives in pens or inside barns in cramped quarters. The fifth person is a truck driver who works for a third party. 2019 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. People all over the world were horrified to see evidence of such unnecessary abuse at the farm. Coca-Cola and others agree to $21M settlement for Fairlife animal abuse The admission building at Fair Oaks Farm has the phrase "Your Adventure Starts Here" written across the front. Lawsuits are a part of the regular course of business in today's food and beverage industry. Critics of dairy operations, such as Mercy for Animals, PETA and The Humane Society of the U.S., maintain . Green Matters is a registered trademark. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. On Wednesday, the company issued a new statement on its Facebook page taking "full responsibility" for the matter. Laws vary by state, but many, like Indiana, stipulate that dairy farms undergo a government-led inspection at least twice a year. With that said, I am disappointed to learn of potential drug use on our properties. The controversy surrounding Fair Oaks Farms led to a flurry of social media comments, statements and responses as fallout from an undercover video showing animal cruelty at the popular Indiana . "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. ET, Webinar "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. The undercover video released by nonprofit ARM shows Fair Oaks Farm employees kicking, throwing, stomping on and hitting cows with plastic bottles. "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. 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. Coutos organization has investigated alleged abuse at 25 dairy farms in the U.S., including a 2017 investigation at a Florida dairy farm associated with Dean Foods, which filed for bankruptcy in 2019. Fair Oaks Farms representatives said Saturday no other incidents have happened since the videos were released in 2019. The above suit has been transferred to the U.S. Northern District of Illinois courts and the case is ongoing. FAIR OAKS An audit of the operations of Fair Oaks Farms should likely be completed early next week. Jewel-Osco is also dropping Fairlife from its more than 180 stores, including in Dyer, Chesterton and Munster. / CBS News. They must also sign the Dairy Cattle Care Ethics Agreement on an annual basis. FAIR OAKS Mike McCloskey said he wished an animal activist organization that spent nearly six months clandestinely filming the operations of, FAIR OAKS | Fortune 60 company Coca-Cola is partnering with a Northwest Indiana farm, hoping that a reinvented, more nutrient-rich milk can do. "Animal abuse in any form is not tolerated on US dairy farms," said Bjerga. Coworkers caught. But premium milk comes at a premium price. 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. USDA has full confidence that Indiana state and local authorities will investigate this particular case and take appropriate action. "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. Fairlife, Coca-Cola, hit with second wave of lawsuits over animal abuse As a result, cows today produce up to 7 times more milk than their predecessors. Fairlife's sales were fast-growing at a time when milk sales have been falling for decades in the United States, and the company just announced in April it planned to build a new $200 million processing plant in Arizona. 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.". Is the Government Really Paying Farmers to Destroy Crops and Kill Animals? FARM mandates that all farm employees who handle animals must complete stockmanship training. Fair Oaks Farms is based in Fair Oaks, Indiana. But not his teammates. Offers may be subject to change without notice. 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. "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. Those found guilty of animal abuse usually face dual penalties of jail time and fines. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. WATCH NOW: Fair Oaks Farms reports no further incidents following reemergence of videos. Soon after the footage came out, many consumers vowed to boycott Fairlife, and buy milk from otherdairy brands instead. Unfortunately, the fourth employee's animal abuse was not caught at that same time. -- Police are investigating allegations of animal abuse at an Indiana dairy farm, the Newton County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday. This video and any future videos will be immediately handed over to the authorities for review and potential prosecution. Couto supported the renewed calls for boycotting Fairlife, but said his target is much bigger the dairy industry at large. Richard Couto, 50, founder of Animal Recovery Mission, said the actions depicted at Fair Oaks shocked even their seasoned animal abuse investigators. WATCH VIDEO 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. three times as many greenhouse gas emissions. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. | 2 p.m. 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. The calves appeared to stay in filthy, overcrowded and hot conditions. Topics covered: R&D, flavor trends, health & nutrition, scientific discoveries, new ingredients, and much more. Mike McCloskey, owner of Fair Oaks, released a video Thursday apologizing after an und On Monday, the Newton County Sheriff's Office announced that three people have been charged with animal cruelty. HAMMOND Fair Oaks Farms is facing new demands it pay damages over animal abuse at the agritourism destination. Slashing Methane Emissions by 45 Percent Is Crucial to Avoid Climate Catastrophe and Easy, Says UN Report. Fairlife dairy gets its milk from Fair Oaks Farms. Fair Oaks Political Reaction 061019. However, this footage was a wake-up call to dairy consumers everywhere. Fairlife has admitted that the calves seen in the undercover footage taken at Fair Oaks Farms were mistreated. In January 2020, Coca-Cola bought out its partners to take full ownership of Fairlife. 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. As a veterinarian whose life and work is dedicated to the care, comfort and safety of all animals, this has affected me deeply. Derrer told TODAY that prior to the first video's release, her office had never received a complaint about Fair Oaks Farms. So, in this instance our policy of cow care training "see something, say something" worked. 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. According to online federal court records, the next hearing will be a remote status hearing on July 15. The case was opened following the release of a video by Animal . "This is a much greater investigation and it's still ongoing," Couto said. Family Express, the Valparaiso-based chain of convenience stores and gas stations, was named the best convenience store in the state of Indiana. "I guarantee you that this will never happen again at Fair Oaks Farms.". Fairlife Dairy still under fire over alleged animal abuse after new 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. 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. 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. 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. I also take full responsibility to correct and ensure that every employee understands, embraces and practices the core values on which our organization stands. 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. If you were horrified by the actions taken at Fair Oaks Farms, youd probably be horrified if you peaked behind the curtain at any industrial dairy farm or slaughterhouse. At Target, a 52-ounce bottle of Fairlife milk sells for $3.39. 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 parties, which include Select Milk Producers, Fair Oaks Farms and Mike and Sue McCloskey (the owners of Fair Oaks and founders of Fairlife), also agreed to take additional steps to implement animal welfare oversight, according to the filing. All Rights Reserved. We have been flooded with emails to ask if we are still undercover with the dairy industry and asking about Fair Oaks Farms. 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. Since opening as a tourist attraction in 2004, Fair Oaks Farms has been considered the "Disneyland" of dairy farms. 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.. | 11 a.m. Couto said the next video will allegedly show conversations the undercover investigator had with management acknowledging animal abuse. The Animal Recovery Mission claimed Fair Oaks . 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. Derrer added that during their most recent legislative session, Indiana's legislators made changes to the state's animal welfare laws, which include harsher punishment for those found guilty of animal abuse. The Idaho native and University of Idaho grad has been with The Times since 2019. 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. Fairlife milk pulled from store shelves amid animal abuse video - TODAY However, the spokesperson said the USDA is aware of the video and allegations of animal cruelty must be taken seriously. The new laws will go into effect on July 1. UPDATE: One arrested in Fair Oaks Farms investigation; owners sued Green Matters is a registered trademark. The employees were fired and faced charges of animal abuse. A report from a series of focus groups done by precision fermentation startup Formo, Fordham University and Mercy For Animals released in February showed consumers are very enthusiastic and curious about animal-free dairy, with animal welfare being the reason they most want to consume it. One person seen in the Animal Recovery Mission video was a third-party truck driver who was transporting calves, he said. On June 4, 2019, ARM released disturbing footage of one of its most grueling factory farm investigations. It also generally costs more. Fairlife Milk: Why Animal Abuse Investigation Prompted Boycotts Farmers and ranchers . The cows shown in the video were not in federally inspected slaughter facilities and therefore not under USDA's authority, a spokesperson said. "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. 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. 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). The footage went viral, and the organization also published a 125-page document reporting what the activist witnessed including extreme and violent animal abuse within the first few hours on the job. 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. I am and will continue to be deeply involved in the resolution of this matter, down to every one of our employees, so that I can guarantee that these actions never again occur on any of our farms. Unfortunately, the practices seen on Fair Oaks Farm are not uncommon in the dairy industry. From February through April of 2019, an Animal Recovery Mission (ARM) activist got an undercover job milking cows at Fair Oaks Farms, which supplies milk to dairy companies including Fairlife (which is owned by the Coca-Cola Company, and provides milk to Chick-fil-A). 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. We will also continue to work with Fair Oaks Farms to ensure specific actions are taken to address this situation and uphold our high standards for animal care.. 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. The abuse extends to kicking and beating calves, as well as force-feeding them until they can't breath. Three former employees who were seen kicking and throwing calves in the first video released by ARM were charged with animal cruelty last week. You have permission to edit this article. 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. Couto said the videos have now been going viral across all social media platforms, including newer sites like TikTok. The investigator also noted that in his entire time on the job, the cows received zero medical care, despite many of them suffering from visible injuries and infections. What We Know About the Fair Oaks Farms Controversy Fairlife has not sourced milk from Fair Oaks since the 2019 incident, the brand said. 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 . fairlife is committed to the humane and compassionate care of animals. The settlement received preliminary approval by an Illinois federal judge on April 27. An undercover video provided by Animal Recovery Mission shows workers allegedly abusing animals at Fair Oaks Farms in Newton County. I have personally reached out to ARM's founder, Richard Couto, to discuss a more symbiotic relationship but he has yet to reach back. Federal lawsuit accuses Fair Oaks Farms of misleading consumers After watching the video, the board reviewed compliance records and logs for Fair Oaks Farms and has since been directed to cooperate with authorities. 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. STAFF REPORTS. Miami-based animal welfare group Animal Recovery Mission released another video documenting animal abuse at Fair Oaks Farms. However, before ARM released its footage of Fair Oaks, Fairlife had made plenty of claims in regards to animal welfare. Fair Oaks, she said, is no longer in its supply chain. Fortunately, there are endless options when it comes to non-dairy milk, chocolate milk, yogurt, protein shakes, and more. 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. 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. The truck driver, who was responsible for picking up the calves, will not be allowed on Fair Oaks Farms again. The minimizing of the graphic animal cruelty offers little assurance of change in a culture that is likely in need of fundamental retooling.". 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. 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. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. "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," McCloskey said in a written statement on the company's website. Fair Oaks Farm is located in Fair Oaks, right off Interstate 65. Operation Fair Oaks Farms Dairy Adventure | ARM Investigations Fair Oaks Farms was the worst abuse towards newborn babies that I have ever seen, Couto said Thursday. Temperature readings show it was more than 100 degrees inside their hutches. Fair Oaks Farms animal abuse: After video exposes abuse at Fair Oaks Fair Oaks Farm animal abuse: What we know - The Indianapolis Star 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. "In 2019, when our farmers reported this behavior, we immediately terminated and turned these individuals into the proper authorities to prosecute," the company said in the statement. There is likely still animal cruelty on Fairlife's farms in 2021. Our world revolves around making sure that our cows are fed well, treated humanely and live in comfortable, stress-free conditions.. "We've been trying to figure out where this regeneration of the videos has come from. The impact of coronavirus and circumstances arising from 2019 have led to the termination of three major executive positions at Fair Oaks Farm. Driver in ditch nearly 5 times the legal limit, Porter County police say. 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. That manager notified local law enforcement about the drug use and, accordingly, a police report is on file. Criminal charges were filed against at least three of the workers. The animal abuse at Fair Oaks Farms would not be the only potential wrongdoing eligible for action by Newton County prosecutors if a proposal , State leaders so far are staying mum following the release of undercover videos showing animal abuse committed by former Fair Oaks Farms emplo, CROWN POINT Charges filed Tuesday allege a Gary woman dragged a 5-year-old girl by the arm away from a playground and pushed the child to th. 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. ARMs Fairlife investigation proved that there is no way to truly know what is happening behind a farm's closed doors. 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. The animals depicted in this video do not fall within our authority.. They also announced the farm's plans to install video surveillance on the property. A Crown Point woman has filed new claims that she has been harmed by animal cruelty at Fair Oaks Farms. 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.