Today, Animal Recovery Mission (ARM) is releasing the first ever investigation, which includes shocking undercover video, into an organic dairy farm in the United States, Natural Prairie Dairy; marking this the third installment of the largest dairy investigation of all time into Fairlife and Select Milk Producers Inc.
Natural Prairie Dairy is expanding to Newton County, Indiana, and will supply dairy to Meijer Grocer throughout the Midwest and East Coast. Currently, Natural Prairie Dairy houses more than 25,000 cows in its four locations near Dalhart, Texas, and supplies raw dairy to Kroger through Aurora Dairy’s bottling plant in Denver, Colorado.
Some of the violations observed are as follows:
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Maltreatment and Excessive Abuse of Dairy Cows – Cows were tormented, kicked, hit with shovels, and stabbed with screwdrivers by vet tech crews and animal caregivers. Cows were also inhumanly tied left in uncomfortable positions for hours with some falling into cesspools almost drowning.
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Neglect of Sick and Injured Dairy Cows – Flesh wounds, eye gashes and or leg injuries were not treated. Cows with infected eyes, infected udders, cuts and scrapes, limping and unable to walk were also untreated and in declining health.
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Squalid, Overcrowded, Unsanitary Housing – Cows were found living in squalid, overcrowded and unsanitary conditions, forcing them to lay in feces-ridden cement, causing foot rot and infections to untreated open wounds and scars.
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Force Feeding and Scientific Research Performed on Cows – Portholes allow access to the rumen of a cow, to perform scientific research and analysis of the cow’s digestive system. It takes cows as much as six weeks to recover from this mutilation and the hole remains in their stomach. Cows are also seen being force-fed with metal tubes by untrained employees.
“The cows of Natural Prairie Dairy live a life of pure misery and torture,” said Richard “Kudo” Couto, ARM Founder. Beaten, stabbed and locked down in feces ridden barns, this is not what consumers imagine when purchasing organic milk and cheese.”