FAIR OAKS, Ind. (WAND) – An undercover report claims a dairy farm abused animals, sometimes to the point of causing death.
Between August and November in 2018, an undercover investigator from Animal Recovery Mission visited a Fair Oaks Farms property (Prairies Edge North Barn) in Indiana and documented the alleged abuse. Workers can be seen throwing, force-feeding, pushing and kicking newborn calves in a video shared in a WTHR article.
The ARM report says the abuse was widespread.
“The beatings were done by all employees,” the report claimed. “Every single person that we worked with and that we had contact with. By the managers, by the supervisors, by the foreman, the brutality was just everywhere.”
Four employees seen on video were fired, Fair Oaks founder Dr. Mike McCloskey said in a Facebook statement. In part, he said:
“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, 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.”
Criminal charges against the employees are possible. Newtown County Sheriff Thomas VanVleet said in his statement that authorities are aware of the video and an investigation is underway.
“We have requested the names and identifiers of those terminated for animal cruelty by Fair Oaks Dairy Farms. We will also be seeking the identity of the witness to the alleged crimes that failed to report this activity for some time,” he said.
The full ARM report is attached to this story in a PDF document.
