Mercy For Animals has released exclusive hidden-camera footage from an undercover investigation into a dairy farm in upstate New York. With a population of over 600,000 cows, New York is the fifth-largest dairy producer in the U.S., supplying milk, cheese, butter, and yogurt to households nationwide. On farms like the one investigated, cows are milked twice daily to satisfy the demand for dairy products.
Mercy For Animals’ undercover footage reveals shocking cruelty: mother cows crying out as their newborn calves are taken away just moments after birth; cows violently beaten and kicked; and animals left to suffer in filthy, dangerous conditions.
“This footage is a haunting reminder that behind every glass of milk is a mother’s cry, and behind every slice of cheese, a lifetime of suffering,” said Leah Garcés, CEO and president of Mercy For Animals. “As a mother of three, I feel the injustice that these cows endure as their babies are ripped away — their grief is real, and it is routine. No mother should have her baby taken away moments after birth.”
Key Findings from the Investigation:
Calves are separated from their mothers and isolated in pens, are denied maternal care and in some cases have their horn buds chemically burned to prevent growth — without pain relief.
Cows are beaten with sticks, kicked and pulled by their tails. Some are forced to walk with visible injuries.
Animals are left to suffer from painful infections, untreated wounds, swollen joints and pus-filled udders.
Manure-covered floors cause animals to slip and fall, risking further injury.
The footage reveals practices that are not only cruel but also standard in the dairy industry, including the traumatic separation of calves from their mothers.
Each dairy cow in New York produces over 100 pounds of manure daily, resulting in tens of millions of pounds of waste every day — a major contributor of water and air pollution across the state. In fact, investigative reporting has found that many farms operate without federal pollution-discharge permits, raising serious environmental concerns.
Industrial dairy farms are also breeding grounds for dangerous pathogens.
The ongoing bird flu outbreak, which has spread to over 1,000 dairy herds in 17 states and infected 41 dairy farmworkers, underscores the public health risks that overcrowded and unsanitary conditions at dairy farms can help create.
“This investigation helps us understand that the true cost of dairy is far greater than what is paid for these products in stores,” said Walter Sánchez-Suárez, PhD, Animal Behavior and Welfare Scientist. “From water pollution and methane that contributes to global warming, to increased risks of devastating flu epidemics, dairy production not only harms millions of farmed cows in the United States but puts both human societies and ecosystems in jeopardy.”
The farm also supplies milk to major dairy giants Leprino Foods and Saputo, which are suppliers of popular brands such as Domino’s, DiGiorno, Yoplait, and Hot Pockets. Leprino Foods and Saputo, implicated in similar investigations in 2014, have done little to prevent abuse despite supplying 85% of the U.S. pizza market. These investigations reveal systemic failures across the dairy supply chain.
“Choosing plant-based alternatives is one of the most powerful actions consumers can take to create a more ethical and sustainable food system,” Sánchez-Suárez continued.
Watch the never-before-seen footage at GotMisery.com
