Archive for Dairy Cattle Abuse

“News Flash: Dairy Industry Mistreats Their Animals” ANOTHER BLACK EYE? Or could this be THE KNOCKOUT PUNCH?

Thus begins yet another round in the battle between public perception and livestock raising. As I reviewed the NYTIMES article (Read more: U.S. Research Lab Lets Livestock Suffer in Quest for Profit), I couldn’t help but wonder if this was yet another black eye or, as I feared, would this atrocity deliver the knockout punch to dairy industry credibility? (Read more: Dairy Cattle Abuse Video – A black eye for the dairy industry)

This time the Good Guys are Bad

Unfortunately the latest headlines shouted out that a well-respected organization was the guilty party.  Immediately we in the industry blush with embarrassment.  But wait.  What is it about human nature that makes us think that the bigger the good reputation, the more likely the allegations are true? Or for that matter not true?  The real question is “When did we put ourselves in the position of Judge and assume that what we read in black and white truly is a black or white representation of the truth?”

With every new black eye, the dairy and the general public has been softened up. Each new punch requires that we go on the defence.  Somewhere inside you start to assume that eventually the challenge will be so formidable that defence becomes impossible. In this most recent case, the facts as presented accuse not only MARC but every veterinarian, supplier, consultant who entered their facility. Indeed, if the allegations are true, everyone failed at the most basic level to carry out their responsibility to protect and respect animal life.

Is this More of the Same?

I usually don’t have a problem giving a little room to those who criticize the dairy industry from an outside position. After all, it could be that they don’t have all the facts.  However, when I read that MARC, a well-respected research facility was the defendant, I didn’t give them room for doubt or the assumption of innocence until proven guilty. I rapidly searched the Internet.  I poured over reams of comments condemning what had been supposedly seen and reported.  And then… I was significantly influenced to the negative, when a Senator stepping in and demanded a review — with a stringently short timetable.

It wasn’t until my mind was made up that I asked the second question:  “Is there another side to this story!”

Why was I hesitating? Was it because of the presumed stature of MARC that I was prepared, “For the bigger they are, the harder they fall”?  It is always bad when journalists, amateur videographers and sleuths set out to find and expose mistreatment of animals. So what flipped my “guilty” switch, when it was researchers and veterinarians being accused as perpetrators? Why did I allow my trust to be so swiftly shaken to the core?

I agreed wholeheartedly with Dan Murphy, who wrote an opinion piece about MARC’s questionable research for Drovers CattleNetwork, concluding “There is a line that must be drawn between research that produces beneficial results in terms of yield and efficiency, and projects that are conducted without the necessary regard for the health and welfare of the livestock involved.”

It is long past time for the entire industry to step up and admit their failure.

We can’t become spectators when our peers put the whole industry into a negative spotlight. If we expect the industry to continue into the future we can’t pull the childish excuse, “They did it.  Not me!” We aren’t prepared for respected organizations to succumb to unethical behavior.  The headlines blared: “U.S. Research Lab Lets Livestock Suffer in Quest for Profit / Animal Welfare at Risk in Experiments for Meat Industry.” That was followed up with an editorial that claimed “Farming Science, Without the Conscience.”

Which is worse?  Getting a Black Eye? Or Turning a Blind Eye?

There can be no justification for animal mistreatment.  The ends do not justify the means. As more and more questions are raised, one perspective is particularly upsetting. “Have the best-of-the-best in the science of modern animal agriculture became so tone deaf in their search for a better cow/pig/sheep that they ignored their better voices and intentionally tortured animals in a vain and misguided attempt to reach their goals?”

Don’t Assign Blame.  Find Solutions!

As the media headlines grow ever more provocative, more shocking, and more attention grabbing, there is the temptation to blame them, if not for lying, at the very least for exaggerating.  The truth is, the media is doing they’re doing their job.  They are doing what they are paid to do.  If our response is simply to wish that the attention would go away, it means that we are less than passive in dealing with these blows to our credibility.

It’s time to step up as an industry … all up and down the line … and demand that those we support with our dollars, advocacy and trust are accountable for the way they manage the animals in their care.

Sixty Days to Judgment – from the Top

USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack called for an immediate investigation to be completed in 60 days.  But even this unprecedented speed could prove to be too little too late. Once again, laying blame and seeing that “heads will roll” does not address a problem that is a symptom of an entire industry that prefers to have a black eye, if it allows us to turn a blind eye to effective action.

Still, inquiring minds will want to know how much of the report was true. Could any of it be merely misconstrued observations by an untrained eye? Had MARC, in search of a better and more efficient animal, really crossed the line?  Surely things have not gotten so out of hand that the goals of higher production, higher birth rates and the drive for more, more and more, has gone too far and has now put at risk, not only the dairy cattle, but the entire dairy industry?

One of the most scathing statements made in the accusatory articles arose from the point that the scientists were trying to make animals more productive to better feed the world. The question was posed, “Do people really want that if it means a decrease in animal welfare?”

By now you have probably sensed that my first accusatory position has been somewhat changed.  If you’re reading The Bullvine, you are absolutely allowed to assume that my lifelong pro-dairy bias could be rising to the top. I will accept criticism of the bias but that does not mean an acceptance of animal mistreatment. The Bullvine holds ourselves and the industry to a standard of animal care that always seeks out the highest standards.  But are we too easily accepting o slow progress toward raising those standards higher?

It was an opinion posted by (Matthew J Cherni, MS, DVM February 13th, 2015  ) that made me question my rapid rush to judgement against MARC.  It gives us much to think about:

I was privy to the interview techniques used by Michael Moss, author of the New York Times article. Michael Moss was brought to my home, and introduced as a friend of someone I had worked with during much of my career at the USMARC. After a half an hour, to maybe as much as an hour of talking to Michael Moss I asked him what he did for a living, and he told me. I probably escaped being misquoted, or taken out of context like others referenced in the article only because after learning why he was visiting with me, I told him: “You do not have my permission to quote me, or use my name.” He protested, and I repeated my statement.

I spent a career (September, 1978-June, 2012) working as the sheep operations manager at the USMARC. I know, in many cases from firsthand knowledge prior to June, 2012, the accusations of animal mistreatment/abuse described in Mr. Moss’s article, and Dr. Jim Keen’s interview are without merit. Unfortunately for the sake of truth, it is not possible to prove something did not occur. I believe this story is the result of an unscrupulous HSUS/PETA sympathetic reporter being willingly fed false accusations by (a) disgruntled former employee(s), and a willingness by the reporter to misquote, take statements out of context, and exaggerate occurrences to support the accusations. Unfortunately, it is the people/consumers and livestock of America, and world who will suffer the most in the future if this article affects funding, or activities at the USMARC.”

People make mistakes. Accidents happen. We all understand that. But how do you make allowances for shortcomings of supposedly well-trained, highly motivated and industry respected individuals and organizations? We don’t.  While many are anxiously awaiting the report demanded by Secretary Vilsack, it’s time to stop leaving the judgment calls to someone else.

The Bullvine Bottom Line

Wherever we are on the spectrum, we must take responsible action. And that has got to include responsible reporting as well.

 

 

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Happy Cows Don’t Make Headlines

Two weeks ago, another “undercover” video from an animal rights group rocked the dairy world and gave the dairy industry yet another black eye.  (Read more: Dairy Cattle Abuse Video – A black eye for the dairy industry).  While tens of thousands of people across North America, and for that matter around the world, have now seen this brutal video, the fact is that most of them assume that the actions that occur on this video take place on all dairy farms on a daily basis.  Those of us that work in the dairy industry know this is not the case at all.  However, since Happy Cows Don’t Make Headlines, the general public is only exposed to the negative side of the dairy industry rather than the positive.

In the media business there is no question that if you can touch an emotion, whether it be positive or negative, you certainly can get attention and gain readership.  Anyone watching this horrifying video would be hard pressed not to get emotional when seeing   the abuses that occur.  As a result, the mainstream media has been very quick to jump on this story and continues to pound the dairy industry with their negative coverage.

Even we here at the Bullvine are guilty of exposing this story.  Some breeders commented to us that we should not cover this story.  Unlike other dairy publications, we have learned that burying your head in the sand is not the way to bring about change.  Instead, you need to be 100% transparent and address the problem head on.  We as an industry cannot hope that this story will “quietly go away.”  That is not going to happen.  Moreover, we need to stand up for ourselves and share the positive instead of hiding from the negative.

It’s at times like this when we all need to be strong dairy advocates and make sure that the general public actually knows the truth of what goes on in the dairy industry.  A great example of this is provided by Jerry Jorgensen from Ri-Val-Re Holsteins.  Jerry was disgusted by what he had seen in the video and certainly expressed his comments on social media.  However, he also took the time to produce a video that showed the public what actually happens on most dairy farms.

Jorgensen’s video provides an excellent explanation of how most dairy cattle are cared for.  Jerry applied his unique sense of humor to the video.  The challenge is that, while those in the dairy industry applauded the video and appreciated Jerry’s efforts, the video was viewed on YouTube by 4,000 people.  This is just a fraction of the over 140,000 people that viewed the Mercy for Animals video from Chilliwack Cattle Sales.

Carrie Mess (aka Dairy Carrie) a strong dairy advocate and very active social media personality (Read more: Dairy Carrie – Diary of a City Kid Gone Country) says the social media comments spurred by the Mercy for Animals video have been frustrating.

“The group that is responsible for this video has an agenda.  That agenda is… they advocate for a vegan diet.  They don’t like animal agriculture.  So when they release a video like this and try to paint all farmers with this huge brush, it’s so frustrating to me.  Any industry will have bad actors, but that doesn’t mean that everybody is.”

Carrie adds that on the hundreds of dairy farms she has been on she has never seen anything like that happening.  She does say that the video from Chilliwack is unacceptable,   ”There is no excuse for that kind of treatment of cows.”  Though she is also quick to admit that “sometimes I’m mean to my cows” and it’s because it can mean life or death.  Sometimes farming is messy, ugly, and tragic.  (Read more: Sometimes we are mean to our cows)

“I do want people to understand that these are very large animals and that we can’t necessarily just pick up with a couple of guys lifting her,” she explains.  “A cow is so big that if she lays down for too long, whether it’s because of an injury or illness, the cow is large enough that basically her legs go to sleep.  More so than you can ever imagine where she just can’t get up.  So if she’s laying down for too long and can’t get up, she’s not going to be able to get up…a down cow that can’t get up is going to be a dead cow.”

Now to be fair to the video from Chilliwack Cattle Sales, there are some actions that to the uneducated watcher seem pretty horrific, but to the average dairy farmer can be explained.  One such case is the rush to get a downed cow off of the rotary parlor before she is squished to death.  The cows are so large there is no other way to lift them than to use a tractor.  However, then the average dairy farmer would also ask, “Why was the cow down in the first place?”  If it was because she was afraid of the rotary parlor, which can be the case, then why was she being forced to go on it in the first place?

None of this is to say the abuse shown at Chilliwack Cattle Sales was justifiable in any way because it’s not.  However, this situation highlights a significant disconnect in our modern dairy production system.  How does the consumer, who doesn’t know anything about where his milk comes from, have a meaningful discussion with the dairy farmer who doesn’t have to think about the person at the grocery cooler buying it?

The Bottom Line

Ultimately, the only way to prevent future videos of this nature is to give activists nothing to film.  Dairy farmers around the world need to look at their own operations and make sure that they run a farm that they’re proud to show to anyone, at any time, and are not afraid to do so, especially through social media.  Education is key, although it takes time and effort from both sides and doesn’t really prevent the possibility of problems slipping through.  Thanks to the power of social media we all have the opportunity  to help educate the  consumer about  how much we care for our dairy cattle and why the dairy community is one of the greatest in the world.  (Read more: Why the Dairy Community is the Greatest in the World….)  Remember we cannot expect the general media to do it for us, because Happy Cows Don’t Make Headlines.

 

 

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Dairy Cattle Abuse Video – A black eye for the dairy industry

On Friday, a new undercover video from the non-profit group Mercy for Animals Canada was released showing abuse of dairy cattle at Canada’s largest dairy farm, Chilliwack Cattle Sales.  The video, shot by a former employee of the farm, shows dairy cows being whipped and beaten with chains and canes, as well as being punched and kicked.  This totally unacceptable conduct is a black eye for everyone in the dairy industry around the world.

The video is horrific.  To dairy farmers the video is heartbreaking.  A large majority of the people who dairy farm have family run organizations and treat their animals as if they are part of the family.  To see a dairy cow being treated in such a horrific manner is absolutely disgusting.

For their part, the Kooyman family has also expressed their concerns over the treatment of the cattle on their farm and they first suspended all employees involved, pending investigation, and have now fired them.  (Read more: Kooyman family in shock after allegations of employee animal cruelty and Employees terminated, cameras to be installed following release of video)  The challenge is that this should never have happened in the first place.  In watching the video, it would seem that these are isolated cases.  You see multiple employees abusing a cow at one time, even while knowing that they are being videotaped.  This indicates that the employees were comfortable with their actions.  It would seem to show that those actions were generally accepted on the farm.  Even though you, as owner or manager, might never take part in such actions yourself, what happens on your farm and how your cows are treated there is your responsibility.

As very large dairy farms are becoming more common, it often means hiring help that have not come from a dairy cattle or animal handling background, especially when trying to hire works for the night shift on farms that milk three times a day, as may have been the case here.  As a result, they have not been properly trained around dairy cattle and don`t understand animal behavior.  Quite likely, up to the point of being hired, they have not been exposed to the art of dairy stockmanship.  Recently we published an article about the lost art of dairy cattle stockmanship in response to growing concerns, which triggered our alarm bells.  (Read more: The Lost Art of Dairy Cow Stockmanship.  When Push Comes to Nudge.)   With the now firing of the individuals involved, there is potential additional legal action that could be taken by these individuals against Chilliwack Cattle Sales, claiming that this is how they were trained and the generally accepted conduct at the farm, and so firing them for these actions is unfair.

It’s really about culture and engagement

Ben Loewith from Summitholm Holsteins, one of Canada’s top managed herds, comments on the situation with proactive advice.  “Take this opportunity to discuss proper animal care with everyone on the farm.  Create a culture where improper handling is reported to you.”  Having been on Summitholm’s Lynden Ontario farm numerous times, I can attest to the fact that, at Summitholm, every cow is treated with the utmost respect and care.  This practice is a synchronization of the exceptional animal husbandry and people management of the Loewith family that is a priority of their personal management style.  They know that a comfortable cow is the most profitable kind of cow there is.  I have been told by employees at Summitholm, of which some have been there over 20 years, that “If you yell at a cow, let alone kick or hit a cow, you might as well start looking for new employment.”

The handling of this issue reminds me of a quote from Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Enterprises and sixth richest citizen in the UK, where he said, “The way you treat your employees is the way they will treat your customers.”  Well, for me, the same is true on a dairy farm.  The way you treat your employees is the way they will treat your cows.  Properly trained and respectfully treated employees follow the rules.  They know they are doing a good job, are less stressed, and use their energy toward being more productive. (Read more: 80 Ways to Build a Dairy Dream Team – Employees are what make dairy farms successful today)

The following are some key benefits of properly training and treating your employees:

  • Less risk
    A well-trained and managed employee is less likely to administer a wrong product or treat an animal incorrectly.  One mistake from an untrained or unhappy employee could cost you financially and personally.  Why risk your company’s reputation?
  • Consistency
    Happy well-trained employees are consistent employees.  When you have a good training program, you’ll have a much more dependable output regardless of employee pre-dairy experience.  You’ll see more consistent compliance with protocols, and workers will understand why following these protocols are necessary.  When employees follow protocols, production increases.
  • Better company culture
    While some may think that “corporate culture” is not relevant on a dairy farm, they could not be more wrong.  Workers cannot know if they are doing a good job if they do not clearly understand what the job requires.  Lack of training creates stress and a culture of disengaged employees, which can also lead to higher turnover.  Proper training and treatment help communicate the value of employees’ roles, which drives engagement and motivation for employees to put forth extra effort from the beginning.
  • Increased profitability
    Having fully developed and engaged employees will allow you, the owner or manager, to focus on strategic goals.  You’ll have confidence that employees know how to operate efficiently.  In addition, they too will have confidence, which further contributes to increased efficiency.  Knowing the proper protocols means that no one has to wait on owners or managers for instructions or approval.

Social Outrage

Dairy farmers from across the country took to social media to share their outrage towards the culprits who were caught abusing dairy cows. Many also tried to counter the negative press by sharing pictures and tweets about how animals are cared for on their farms.  Times like these are exactly why we need more dairy farmers involved in initiatives like proAction.  The proAction Initiative is a way of showing our customers and consumers that we have improved the management of our farms over time. That we take responsibility for our on farm food safety, quality of milk, care of our animals, and care of the environment. We are doing things to enhance biosecurity to limit or prevent diseases from coming onto our farms. It’s going to be a way of not only telling our consumers that we are doing a good job but we will have a way of measuring and proving that claim. It will be a way of defending our best practices that we are implementing on our farms. Showing is better than just telling all the great things we as Canadian dairy farmers are doing in the area of sustainability.  (Read more: TOM HOOGENDOORN- Family man, Farmer & Our Face to the Consumer!)  Michele Pay-Knoper, an agriculture agvocate points out that “We have a tendency to be modest, stubborn and independent – and extraordinarily busy milking cows, putting up hay and taking care of business. However, telling your story is a business practice today”.  (Read more: Michele Payn-Knoper – Standing Up and Speaking Out for Agriculture)

It’s times like these that we need to share messages and videos like the one Dairy Carrie – Carrie Mess – produced entitled “Undercover Dairy Farm Video”.    While the title might have you expecting to see something similar to that of the Mercy for Animals Canada at Chilliwack Cattle Sales, instead what you see is what really goes on behind the doors of a dairy farm which is calm comfortable dairy cows, eating and producing high quality milk. (Read more: Dairy Carrie – Diary of a City Kid Gone Country)

 The Bullvine Bottom Line

As dairy farms grow larger, it is important that the quality of stockmanship does not decline.  It is important to take the time to train your employees on what high quality stockmanship involves. Training and upgrading of animal handling skills is an ongoing priority.  The challenge is that everyone on the dairy operation must recognize the importance of proper treatment and care of the herd. Ideally, the monitoring is everyone’s role.  There can never be an “I didn’t know!” excuse. Ultimately, whether you have 10 or 10,000 cows, you are responsible for the proper care and treatment of your cattle.

For more an proper care and handling of farm animals check out The Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Farm Animals: Dairy Cattle.

 

 

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