Investigation: Abhorrent Cruelties for Land O'Lakes Dairy
Published October 01, 2009 @ 06:36AM PT
By now, you may have heard about the undercover video and investigation details released earlier this week by PETA. If not, here's the rundown: Someone from PETA spent five months at a dairy in Pennsylvania as an undercover investigator. The dairy is a Land O'Lakes supplier. And the extreme suffering, horrid conditions, and excruciating, debilitating injuries and illnesses the cows are forced to endure are indisputable. It is all documented clearly. The post continues after the below video, so don't forget to click the "Read More" link:
You can read more details here; a follow-up here also includes the response from Land O'Lakes.
One point that I feel almost always needs to be made after these investigations that call out specific companies or facilities is that these conditions are not unusual. It's easy to say, "Well, I just won't buy Land O'Lakes products anymore," but in reality, that's a meaningless gesture. Cows and calves suffer just as much, in the same and additional ways, at operations for other companies. Even buying organic (a term that means nothing when it comes to the well-being of the animals, except that their illnesses often just aren't treated because antibiotics would make their milk non-organic) or cutting out all dairy products except for what you can buy somewhere locally is a self-comforting gesture rather than a way to really stand up for, and remove yourself from the suffering and killing of, cows.
How so? As noted many times before, but as I will continue repeating in posts for any new readers coming along, all dairy inherently involves anguish and slaughter. Cows produce milk, just as human mothers do, for their babies. No babies, no milk. So humans artificially inseminate them, let them give birth, and then immediately rip their babies away, to the extreme distress of mother and baby both, so that humans can steal the milk the mother's body is producing for her newborn. A few female calves are allowed to live so that they can be turned into baby-and-milk-factory machines themselves, and the male newborns and remaining females are dragged off on their wobbly legs, crying out for their mothers, to be killed. Some become veal; some just become trash.
The mothers bellow out and mourn for their stolen infants, over and over again, but their suffering is ignored, and the process keeps repeating, until the mothers' bodies are so worn down that they too are dragged off to the slaughterhouse to become hamburger. And none of this, in the dairy industry, is "cruelty." It's the very premise of the dairy industry. It's what must happen for people to get dairy products, from anywhere. For humans to have cows' milk, mothers and babies must be traumatized, babies must be slaughtered as babies, and mothers must be slaughtered when they're no longer profitable.
Take it from Marji of Animal Place Sanctuary:
But here is the deal: The animals do not care if Land O'Lakes requires its suppliers to implement a welfare policy of any type - they care about living, sleeping comfortably, eating, being with friends, nursing their babies. Which is why a dietary change is a lot more helpful to the animals than policy change. We encourage you to remove dairy and cheese from your diet, starting today! Try soy milk in your cereal or almond milk for your baking. Moving toward a compassionate diet is easy - take it as slow or fast as you want and make it an enjoyable, delicious experience!
And it's a perfect time for you to go vegan -- tomorrow is World Farm Animals Day, and today is the start of VeganMoFo! Stay tuned for info on the latter.
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Photo courtesy PETA
Side note: If you traveled to the investigation's main page, you may have noticed PETA's reference to Temple Grandin as a world-renowned expert. The organization's continuing all-but-endorsement of Temple Grandin remains frustrating for animal rights advocates. If you're interested, Grandin has been discussed in multiple posts here before: 1, 2, and 3, the latter a guest post from author Jeff Masson.
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Stephanie Ernst is an independent animal rights advocate, a vegan, a tree-hugging environmentalist, and a freelance editor and writer. She lives in St. Louis with an aging corgi-lab and an adolescent rescued pit bull. In her advocacy, she works to challenge prevailing perceptions of animals, to show the connections between animal exploitation and other injustices, to help people see that animals are more like us than different, and to encourage compassionate, nonviolent living and eating.
another amazing post, but so realisticly sad.
Posted by Soodle Billy on 10/01/2009 @ 12:56PM PT
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Your writing is so powerful, even though I've read things like this a million times before you make it hit home all over again.
This is why 'ethical' vegetarians just drive me crazy. Eating meat is no different than eating dairy. The ONLY way to take a stand against animal cruelty is to GO VEGAN.
Oh don't get me started on Temple Grandin 'hero' to the animals....blech.
Posted by The Voracious Vegan . on 10/02/2009 @ 12:30AM PT
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I'm curious about something. Do all you other vegans feel as hopeless as I feel most of the time about all of this? I seem to navigate between disgust, frustration, frustration, and extreme sadness for the better part of each day.
I was on a spiritual forum last week, which caters to every form of spiritualistic pursuit/belief. Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, past life regression, crystals, everything. But the primary focus of most there is learning to live a more balanced and "in-tune" with the cosmos kind of life. Some guy, who promotes a meatless diet for health reasons, told me that the treatment of animals isn't really important because they will reincarnate anyway and besides if that "treatment/abuse" is all they've ever known, is it really that bad? That is the kind of world we live in!!!! I was going to say it makes me want to tear my hair out, but in retrospect, I think I would like to tear theirs out.
Posted by Debby McCabe on 10/02/2009 @ 04:18AM PT
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Debby, this is partly why I cannot join or be a part of any spiritual or religious community. Using religion to justify the cruel realities of animal agriculture is simply not acceptable. I do not understand people who profess to care about their god's creation and it's creatures, but turn a blind eye to animal suffering. I even know serious practicing Buddhists who eat dead animals and so do their teachers. My spiritual practice is vegansim.
Posted by Kim Johnson on 10/02/2009 @ 02:07PM PT
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I know what you mean. I've been hanging out there on the veg'n threads for the past year approximately with the intention of giving factual info regarding the vegan lifestyle as it pertains to compassion, health and then environment because it is amazing how much disinformation there is but I've gotten to the point where I'm reaching "done" if you know what I mean. But I may take a break and then head back and catch a new wave of dumb questions and statements. There was one young lady that sounded like maybe she was teetering on the edge of choosing to be compassionate instead of just giving in to her appetite and cravings so I haven't closed my account there as she had asked if she could PM me if she had any questions. Who knows....
Posted by Debby McCabe on 10/02/2009 @ 06:38PM PT
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I posted a link on Facebook to this post, as did two of my friends. Thank you, Stephanie.
Posted by L R on 10/03/2009 @ 07:20AM PT
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Going Vegan was the only way I could soothe my own hopelessness over the situation, Debby. It doesn't always work especially when I know I have made certain choices regarding my son's diet.
I have an aunt was praising me for being vegan - she said she has considered it as they live near a "family run" dairy farm in Virginia. She said that the days/weeks following the birth and removal of the calves, the mothers' bellowing is too intense for her to take. She said they try to schedule their vacations around this event so that they don't have to listen to it. And as a result, has started to remove dairy from her diet. (Baby steps)
Posted by Lisa Smolen on 10/04/2009 @ 07:33AM PT
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Oh my, just reading about your Aunts dilemma is bringing tears, I can't imagine being her! How horrible. As for changing to being vegan, yes from one one perspective the change helped soothe the angst, but on the other hand, it opens up a whole new "can of worms" and I'm sure you find the same thing. Everything in this society bludgeons your emotions with this issue, from insensitive remarks from friends who haven't the same philosophy, to walking through a clothing store where every item is trimmed with scraps of fur (and we all know where that comes from). It is possible to avoid the meat aisles of the supermarket and refuse to cook it in your own kitchen, but it is still there right in your face: the attitude from an uncaring society.
Posted by Debby McCabe on 10/04/2009 @ 08:39AM PT
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WE MUST ASK ASK ASK TO GET GET GET AND DO DO DO.
That's the ONLY ANSWER. We Can Do This. We are the Powerful ones - I will call Land o Lakes and speak to the people there. They ARE PEOPLE, and I'll bet the secretaries and lots of folks there would be HORRIFIED AT THE EVIL DIABOLICAL situation with these dear cows and infants.
I will be nice. I will be polite. I will explain my position with kindness and respect. I will be... RESOLUTE. IRREVOCABLE. RELENTLESS.
And i will pray for the strength and hope and will because like the 12 step program etc., you have to turn to a higher power i believe.
No way I could do JACK on my own.
Don't Give UP Don't Give IN Don't give OUT.
ASK, CALL, ASK some more. Believe it or not, you can change the world.
IF not, THEN WHY THE HECK ARE YOU HERE AT THIS WEBSITE CALLED CHANGE.ORG????
PS: I ask that myself, everyday. It's so easy to walk away... but no.
We can do this. For the love of these incredibly precious, suffering, loving, stunningly glorious and beautiful animals.
~~~
Posted by Cdin Org on 10/04/2009 @ 04:31PM PT
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Your rousing call to action has convinced me to join this march, Cdin.
Thank you, in particular, for your positive comment, "Believe it or not, you can change the world" followed by your pointed question: "If not, then why the heck are you here at this website called Change.org?"
And I agree: No way I could do "JACK" on my own, either!
Posted by Olivia White on 10/04/2009 @ 08:21PM PT
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Hi Olivia! I'm so thrilled we're in this together!
:D
~~~
Let's all call Land o'Lakes:
www.landolakesinc.com/utility/contact/default.aspx
1-800-328-9680
We can tell them nicely we care and for them to change their ways!
NOW!
Posted by Cdin Org on 10/04/2009 @ 10:06PM PT
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And here's the official LOL answer (LOL here unfortunately stands for neither "laughing out loud" nor "lots of love":
Thank you for visiting the Land O'Lakes Web Site.
Regarding the claims made by PETA of animal cruelty at a Pennsylvania dairy farm that is owned and operated by one of our members, Land O'Lakes is investigating the claims.
Land O'Lakes is strongly committed to the proper care and humane treatment of animals, and we take any claims of animal mistreatment extremely seriously. Land O'Lakes does not own cows. Our milk supply comes from members who are independent owners and operators of dairy farms. We take any claims related to animal treatment very seriously and are looking aggressively into this situation.
Land O'Lakes supports efforts to develop national sound animal care guidelines and to urge producers to adopt these guidelines to ensure humane treatment of animals by all segments of the agriculture industry.
The milk used in Land O'Lakes products is thoroughly tested and meets the highest quality standards.
Be assured that your comments regarding this issue are important to us and that they will be forwarded to the appropriate personnel.
Please let us know if we can be of assistance in the future. If you need to respond to this email, please use the "Reply To" button at the top of this email.
Sincerely,
Land O'Lakes Consumer Affairs
Posted by Olivia White on 10/09/2009 @ 04:32PM PT
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Let's hope that they really are going to look into it and are not just trying to get people off their back! I can't understand how anyone can abuse animals like this.
Posted by Debby McCabe on 10/09/2009 @ 06:30PM PT
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