Video Showing Supplier of Milk to Maker of McCadam and Cabot Cheeses Prompts Call for Disciplinary Action, Reforms at Cooperative
For Immediate Release:
March 15, 2012
Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382
Peru, N.Y. -- PETA's just-completed undercover investigation of a dairy factory farm that supplies milk to the maker of Vermont-based Cabot cheeses has revealed that calves' horn buds were burned off their heads as the animals thrashed in agony, that cows were jabbed with poles and canes and electro-shocked on the face, and that animals with bloody, pus-covered vaginal prolapses were left without care for months. The farm, which is located near Peru, N.Y., supplies milk to Metheun, Mass.–based Agri-Mark, Inc., which also makes McCadam Cheese in Chateaugay, N.Y.
"From birth to slaughter, these cows are treated like milk machines, not living beings," says PETA Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. "The cruelty that PETA found should make people think twice before buying Cabot or any other dairy products. If you don't want to cause animals undue suffering, perhaps it is time to switch to soy milk and soy cheese."
The following incidents are just a few of PETA's investigator's findings:
- Calves bellowed and thrashed as smoke rose from their flesh after their horn buds and surrounding tissue were burned off without pain relief.
- One manager jabbed a downed cow, whom he called a "dumb bitch," in the ribs with a screwdriver and used a skid steer to drag her approximately 25 feet. He also electro-shocked another cow on the face repeatedly.
- The same manager stated that when a cow's uterus prolapses during calving, he "put[s] [the uterus] back in and hope[s] she lives … long enough for the beef truck to come get her."
PETA has notified the farm's owners of the abuses and employees involved and called on them to take immediate disciplinary action, including termination. PETA is also calling on Agri-Mark CEO Richard Stammer to require all cooperative members to implement reforms that would significantly improve the lives of cows and calves on their farms.
For more information, please visit PETA.org.
