CAUGHT ON CAMERA:
Mothers and Calves Repeatedly Beaten and Tormented With Water Hose and Crutches at Farm in Buckinghamshire
INVESTIGATION RELEASE: FEBRUARY 25th 2019
A breaking Surge investigation released by The Guardian has prompted an RSPCA investigation into a dairy farm in the UK. Workers at the Buckinghamshire farm, called CJ and GR Carnell dairy farm, have been documented punching, kicking and beating the mother cows and calves. The investigation also documented the farmers beating and swearing at the cows, causing the animals visible distress and suffering. Standard dairy industry practices were also documented taking place on the farm, such as the separation of newborn calves from their mothers, where in the dairy industry all new born calves are taken from their mothers, normally within the first 24 hours of life. At this dairy farm, workers often separated the calves by dragging them by their legs away from their mothers.
The investigation also documented the moment a mother cow gives birth to a stillborn calf. The mother then attempts to nurture her dead baby before the farmers then drag the calf away. The footage has been sent to the RSPCA who are now investigating the farm for animal cruelty, however legal or illegal, what happens to animals in the animal agriculture industry is always cruel and immoral.
The UK dairy industry prides itself on high welfare standards, happy animals and humane treatment. However, the reality is that there is no happy or humane way to exploit or use an animal for our own gain - and welfare standards do not protect animals from exploitation and abuse. Whilst animals continue to be viewed as commodities and treated as such, their lives will never be valued within an industry whose only objective is to profit off of their bodies. Abuse towards animals is not only isolated on this farm but exists within the entire industry, meaning the only way to take a stand against animal abuse is to live vegan.
Mother cows have an incredibly deep, loving connection to their children, just as we humans do to our children. The social structure within herds is based on matriarchal families, with mother cows and their daughters remaining grooming and grazing partners for their whole lives. Once separated from their mothers, female dairy calves face the same fate as their mothers, a life of artificial insemination and stolen children before their life ends at the slaughterhouse. Male calves are of no use to the dairy industry and generally less suitable for beef production. This means that every year around 90,000 male dairy calves are shot soon after birth and discarded as a by-product.
There is no such thing as humane dairy. You can help protect cows by going vegan and by sharing this information with friends and family.