Graphic video showing abuse of baby cows leads stores to pull milk from Chicago company

Grocers have begun removing a popular Chicago dairy company’s products from their shelves after an animal rights group released graphic video showing workers kicking and throwing young calves at the company’s flagship Indiana farm.

Animal Recovery Mission said that an investigator for the Miami-based animal rights group secretly recorded the disturbing footage last year while working for several months at Fair Oaks Farms, a popular destination for school field trips which Food & Wine magazine has called the “Disneyland of agricultural tourism.”

The group said that the footage shows the “daily mistreatment of the resident farm animals” at the farm’s dairies about 70 miles south of Chicago located off I-65 in northwestern Indiana.

WARNING: Video shows graphic abuse of animals

“Due to the many years Fair Oaks Farms has been in business, it is impossible to number the amount of calves and cows that have inhumanely died at the hands of this company,” said Rachel Taylor, a spokeswoman for Animal Recovery Mission.

Fair Oaks Farms owns Chicago-based dairy company Fairlife, which is headquartered in the West Loop and sells a variety of ultra-filtered milk products — including Core Power protein milk shakes. Employees at Fairlife declined to comment Wednesday.

Nader Issa/Sun-Times

Jewel-Osco, the largest grocery chain in the Chicago area, said in a statement Wednesday that it was removing Fairlife products from all its 188 stores in the city and suburbs.

“At Jewel-Osco we strive to maintain high animal welfare standards across all areas of our business, and work in partnership with our vendors to ensure those standards are upheld,” the grocery chain wrote. “We apologize for any inconvenience.”

Tony’s Fresh Market, another supermarket with 15 locations in the Chicago area, also announced it would remove Fairlife from its shelves.

“In light of the devastating news story that broke about Fairlife and Fair Oaks Dairy Farm, Tony’s Fresh Market will no longer carry Fairlife products,” the grocer said in a statement. “Thank you for voicing your concerns. We truly appreciate your understanding. Thank you for shopping with us.”

Fair Oaks Farms founder Mike McCloskey said in a statement Tuesday that four employees seen in the video have been fired and actions have been taken to prevent further abuse. A fifth person shown in the video was a third-party truck driver who was transporting calves, he said.

“As a veterinarian whose life and work is dedicated to the care, comfort and safety of all animals, this has affected me deeply,” McCloskey said. “I am disappointed for not being aware of this kind of awful treatment occurring, and I take full responsibility for what has happened. I also take full responsibility to correct and ensure that every employee understands, embraces and practices the core values on which our organization stands.”

The video shows newborn calves being thrown in and out of their huts by employees, young calves being kicked in the head and the carcasses of dead calves piled together in the dirt. The footage additionally shows employees striking calves with their hands and steel rods and being burnt with branding irons.

A portion of the video also showed what appeared to be an employee using cocaine in a work vehicle on site, while other footage showed what appeared to be marijuana plants being grown on the property.

McCloskey described the plants in his statement as an invasive perennial species.

The Newton County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement Wednesday that it’s requested the names of the now-fired workers and the person who shot the footage. The agency said it would work with the county prosecutor’s office to determine if any criminal charges will be filed.

“We acknowledge the need for humane treatment of animals and the need to hold individuals that have gone beyond an acceptable farm management practice accountable for their actions,” the department said in its statement.

The Coca-Cola Company, which distributes Fairlife products, said in a statement that it has “full confidence in [Fairlife’s] management team to urgently address this issue with Fair Oaks Farms.”

“They recognize the seriousness of this situation as their founding principles are grounded in a strong commitment to sustainability, transparency and the highest standards of animal welfare,” the statement read. “We fully support and respect the proactive approach that Fairlife and Fair Oaks Farms have taken and we continue to stay in contact with them to lend any support they need.”

The sprawling farm with 36,000 cows just opened a hotel on its property and features a restaurant and tours of its milking operations. It also includes a theater where you can watch cows giving birth and a number of other exhibits on farming.

In an “animal care” section on its website, Fairlife says “newborn calves are visually monitored daily and are given immediate and proper medical treatment should they become ill,” and that the company accepts “nothing less than the utmost care, respect and humane treatment of our cows.”

Contributing: AP