Mercy For Animals (MFA) a powerful USA animal rights organisation this week (May 25, 2010) released undercover video footage of dairy farm workers sadistically abusing cows and young calves in Ohio.. One of the sadistic employees has already been arrested and charged. The shocking video can be seen below.
Sadistic Dairy Cruelty in Australia as Well!
Many may not be aware that this culture of cruelty also exists right here in Australian dairy farms. Coincidentally ALV was contacted just two weeks ago by a former employee of a Victorian dairy farm about the animal abuse she witnessed while working on the property. Her story is harrowing - the dairy farmer she worked for regularly tortured the cows by repeatedly hitting them on the body and face with hard plastic pipes, stamping on their feet and wrapping their tails around a steel bar and pulling it until it breaks.(scroll down to read her Statutory Declaration). Her appeals for help to the RSPCA went unanswered so she came to ALV. ALV have sent the workers statutory declaration to the RSPCA asking them to immediately investigate this cruelty.
These are not isolated cases of abuse on two continents, but widespread terror throughout the whole of the animal agriculture industry. ALV had an undercover worker in an Australian piggery for a couple months and his diary also documented severe beatings and angry frustrations taken out on the defenceless pigs. More and more cases of appalling animal abuse are brought to light by openrescue and undercover workers.
ALV promotes a vegan diet as the most important decision one can make to truly help animals and stop any chance of this sadistic and cruel animal abuse. check out veganeasy.org for more information.
WARNING: The 3.44 min MFA video below is extremely graphic and shocking.
WARNING: The below video shows dairy cows being forced to have their horns burnt off (dehorned) which causes them extreme pain. This footage is graphic and shocking.
To find out more about the cruelty of dairy farms click here
Statutory Declaration from a former Victorian dairy farm employee
The Statutory Declaration below is by a former employee at a Victorian dairy farm who witnessed animal abuse on the property in early 2010. Names and addresses have been removed by ALV to protect the identity of the informant.
1) My name is [name removed], I am from overseas and I am currently on a working visa in Australia.
2) I lived and worked on a dairy farm in Western Victoria between 9 January 2010 and 1 February 2010. The farm is owned and managed by [name removed} and located at [address removed].
3) I became increasingly distressed while working on this property because of on-going cruelty, neglect and rough treatment to the cows. When I couldn't cope with it anymore and said I was going to report him I was asked to leave the job.
4) During my time at the farm I saw the dairy farmer do a lot of nasty things to the cows in his care. He can't even walk past the cows without stamping on their feet or hitting them in the face. I used to go up to all the cows he hit and rub them better where he hit them and tell them everything will be ok. The dairy farmer hated me for this and tried to make things hard for me.
5) The dairy farmer hits cows in the face so hard that the cow stands there afterwards with her eyes watering and looking so sad with her head hanging down. It breaks my heart.
6) One day, when I sat down waiting for the cows to finish being milked, I bent my head down to look at the cows feet. As I did this some cows noticed it and around five to eight cows also bent their heads down to see what I was looking at. Cows are very good at eye to eye contact, when you talk to them they look at you in the eye. They are very aware of their surroundings and what is happening.
7) Many of these cows are so scared when the dairy farmer is around. There is another house on the property where a woman lives with her husband and three children. She and her brother also help out on the farm. The brother often stays at his sister's place. The cows are also very frightened of the brother, who works for cash in hand when required. I've only worked with him once but he was just as bad as the dairy farmer with how he treated the cows.
8) I worked there for three and a half weeks and hated what I saw and felt like I was earning blood money. I am a big animal lover and this was killing me to witness what the cows were going through.
9) The dairy farmer repeatedly hit cows around the body and face with hard plastic pipes. When the cows were being crowded into the shed to be milked he would get a large pipe and jam the end into the cows bodies to try and prise them into place. Many of the cows have permanent circles marked on their skin where they have been subjected to this.
10) The cows were obviously terrified of him. When they were leaving the milking shed they would often panic when having to pass him and some would fall over. Once a cow tried to run past the dairy farmer and slipped over. He went over and beat her shouting, "You fucking mole, get the fuck up".
11) There was one particular cow who only had one eye. The dairy farmer would walk right up next to her on the side where she was missing an eye so she couldn't see him approach, he would then beat her on the side of her face with a pipe for no reason.
12) On one occasion he was rounding up the cows to milk them when one broke away from the herd (cow number 805) and went through a barbed wire fence and ripped her udders. When she was in the shed for milking that day she repeatedly tried to kick off the milking machine, it appeared her injuries were painful. She was in the middle of the row of cows and couldn't move and the dairy farmer was screaming at her and hitting her. He then took hold of her tail and wrapped it around the bar that runs along the back of where the cows stand, she was crying and trying to sit down. He then pulled her tail until it cracked, one of the milking cups then came off and he yanked her tail again and it cracked and broke a second time.
The cow was screaming the whole time while kicking out as hard as she could, she even defecated during her panicked efforts to get him to release her tail. I ended up shouting at him. "Stop you're hurting her," He replied, "I'm not, cows don't feel pain". I then threatened to call the vet and with that he let go of the cow and said he had been doing this job for years. Many cows on the farm have crooked broken tails or parts of their tail missing.
13) Some cows have mastitis and their udders are red raw and obviously very painful. They are force milked by having their tails wrapped around the bar if they try and kick off the milking machine. Blood from these cows goes into the milk.
14) The cows fall over very often and cut their ankle down to the bone! I witnessed at least 8 different cows with these cuts. Sometimes he sprays them, sometimes he doesn't. But I sprayed them and I have also witnessed the dairy farmer smacking the cow in the cut ankles!
15) There are some nails on the milking machines above the cows. They are long and cut into the taller cows backs when they come inside the milking area. One can see the dried blood from the cows on them. The farmer won't cut them short. I asked him if I could cut them down so the cows don't get hurt by them. he said NO.
16) There were several sick calves on the property while I was there. One calf died and was left to rot with the live calves for a week. She was covered in flies and the dairy farmer said to leave her there so the flies would keep away from him.
17) On another occasion there was a very sick calf who I was concerned about. she could barely move, and was struggling to walk. The dairy farmer said not to worry, he would deal with her. The only 'care' she received was a pipe stuck down her throat and then water poured down. This ill calf was then left in full sun and not attended to for 24 hours. The dairy farmer refused to move the calf into some shade (which the other calves could access), instead she was left in full sun in over 40 degree heat. This calf died and a further calf died 24 hours later, who had also been left in the full sun.
18) There is one cow on the farm who has a severe hip problem. She finds it very painful and difficult to walk and swings her leg out sideways when walking. The vet has told the dairy farmer that the cow needs a hip replacement. I was told she has been in this condition for two years. When the cows are being rounded up for milking this cow usually falls behind because it is difficult and painful for her to walk. He often beats her to try and get her to walk quicker. His plan is to separate this cow into a small barren enclosure where she will spend her days without company except for the twice daily milking, I am not sure if this is now happening.
19) The dairy farmer has an old dog that he keeps constantly chained up. The dog does have a small dog house but it is falling apart and offers little shelter or shade. The dog is generally fed milk that is not fit for human consumption. He is usually left without water and the dairy farmer often forgets to feed him. The dog's teeth are worn down where he chews on the chain to try and get free.
20) After I left the job I emailed a written report to the RSPCA (sent on the 23.03/10), but I have not heard back from them.
I acknowledge that this declaration is true and correct, and I make it with the understanding and belief that a person who makes a false declaration is liable to the penalties of perjury.
