Meat+Poultry - August 2019 - 14

NEWS PERSPECTIVE

Committing to improvement
Undercover video of animal abuse brings unwelcome attention
BY T E M P L E G R A N D I N | m e a t p o u l t r y @ s o s l a n d.c o m

M

The June release of undercover video footage by Animal
ike McCloskey, the founder of Fair Oaks Farm,
Recovery Mission, depicting animal cruelty to calves at
delivered an excellent response. Fair Oaks has
a dairy production facility owned by Fair Oaks Farms
been a leader in agritourism and his dairy is open
called into question the Indiana-based company's animal
for public tours. He admitted that employee training was not
welfare practices and triggered a proactive response from
sufficient and that video cameras are going to be installed
the company. Founder Mike McCloskey, DVM, immediately
throughout the farm. For further transparency, visitors in
accepted responsibility for the incident on behalf of the
his museum and visitor's center will be able to view the
company and has been transparent in its handling of it.
cameras. Therefore, visitors will always be watching.
McCloskey published a series of video messages on the
During its investigation, Animal Recovery Mission
Fair Oaks Farms website, expressing his disappointment
representatives followed a trailer full of very young calves to
in the content of the footage and the company's plan to
a veal farm that had old-style, confined crates. It was a crate
rectify the situation, which included terminating the four
design that should have been phased out years ago. The
individuals responsible for the animal cruelty. A main
most modern veal farms use a much less-restrictive system.
message in the videos was his commitment to share the
Meanwhile, the entire dairy industry must address the
enhancements to the company's animal welfare practices
issue of bull calves. In some parts of the country, they are
moving forward.
fed in beef feedlots to produce beef. Holstein steers produce
Animal welfare expert Temple Grandin, Ph.D., a
excellent beef, but unless they are fed carefully, they may
professor of animal science at Colorado State Univ. and
have severe liver abscesses that cause line stoppages at
a contributing editor to MEAT+POULTRY, praised the
processing plants. Another problem is that Holstein steers
company's response to the video and suggested
can grow really tall and they drag on the floor during
some next steps for Fair Oaks to take. She also
processing. Some fed-beef plants now have a height
addressed some of the underlying issues
indicator at the unloading chute. Animals that are too
related to the latest incident that should be
tall are rejected. There is one major fed-beef plant
Mike McCloskey,
founder of Fair
addressed by all stakeholders in the dairy
that has stopped processing Holstein beef because
Oaks Farms, responds
and beef industry supply chain.
they cause too many problems.
to animal cruelty
allegations.
BEEF ISN'T A BYPRODUCT
Additionally, the dairy industry must stop
treating beef as a byproduct. Some dairies
have already started using beef semen and
sell all the calves produced with it for beef.

Fair Oaks and many other
dairies should follow bull
calves throughout the
supply chain.
Fair Oak Farms

14

MEAT+ POULTRY | 08.19 | www.meatpoultry.com
http://www.meatpoultry.com
Meat+Poultry - August 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Meat+Poultry - August 2019
