WARNING: This video may be extremely disturbing to some. Alleged abuse uncovered at dairy farm | HLNtv.com
Just-released
video from
Mercy for Animals' latest undercover investigation shows workers at a New Mexico dairy farm kicking, punching, throwing, and shocking cows. The farm, Winchester Dairy released the following statement:
"At Winchester Dairy, animal care and well-being is central to our operations. Upon reviewing the footage of the animal abuse at our farm, Winchester immediately initiated an internal investigation and, in response, have:
· Terminated all employees and referred the abusive employees to law enforcement for further review;
· Dispersed the farm’s dairy cows to other dairy farms with strong track records in animal welfare within hours of the video being received;
· Stopped shipment of the farm’s milk to all vendors;
· Closed the farm’s operations, effective immediately.
We remain committed to the ethical and responsible treatment of the animals and have learned from this incident."
The New Mexico Livestock Board has opened an investigation. In a statement, they told us:
"The New Mexico Livestock Board (NMLB) takes allegations of animal cruelty very seriously. After reviewing the video, NMLB immediately went to the dairy in question and began to investigate the actions of the workers in the video. The owners of the dairy are cooperating fully with NMLB’s investigation."
Winchester Dairy supplies milk to Leprino Foods, the world's largest producer of mozzarella cheese. They released the following statement:
"Leprino Foods cares deeply about the health and welfare of the animals on the farms that supply our milk. As soon as our cooperative supplier was informed about the abuse on one of these dairies, ALL SHIPMENTS FROM THAT FARM WERE TERMINATED IMMEDIATELY. LEPRINO FOODS IS NOT RECEIVING ANY MILK FROM THIS OPERATION. We take these situations extremely seriously and are extremely repulsed by these events. The actions depicted in the video are appalling and unacceptable. Leprino Foods Company prides itself in providing an uncompromising commitment to high-quality real cheese, and the milk must be supplied to us by farmers who share our commitment to the highest level of animal health and wellness.
This isolated incident does not reflect the daily care and comfort that New Mexico dairy farmers provide their cows. The farm has taken quick and decisive action. Information about the incident was immediately shared by the farm owner with the proper New Mexico authorities, who are conducting an investigation so that the individuals responsible can be held accountable for their actions."
Jane speaks to Nathan Runkle, Executive Director of Mercy for Animals about this horrifying abuse caught on tape.