Abuse on an Australian Dairy Farm
Calves were bludgeoned to death with hammers, sick and lame animals were left to languish for days without veterinary treatment, and a live cow was dragged by the neck through the mud after repeated failed attempts to kill her with a captive-bolt gun. These are just a few of the abuses that an eyewitness documented at a New South Wales, Australia, dairy farm between July and November of 2016.
The farm was a member of Norco, Australia’s oldest and second-largest dairy cooperative, whose products are sold in Australian supermarkets such as Coles, Woolworths, and Aldi, sometimes as house brand milk and ice cream. Assorted Norco products are also sold in China, Japan, New Zealand, and the Philippines.
As PETA’s exposé shows, every sip of milk, slice of cheese, and scoop of ice cream means terrible suffering for cows.
Mothers and Babies Torn Apart
Births on this farm are not happy occasions.
One cow named Tammy cried out in pain and distress as workers used a huge mechanical “calf puller” to pry her baby violently out of her womb.
She had no way to escape the assault because she was being restrained by a metal clamp that tightly gripped her around the hips. The calf died during birth, and Tammy died several days later, after having been denied veterinary care.
Newborn calves who survive the birthing process are soon taken away from their mothers, roughly handled, and thrown onto trucks as if they were sacks of potatoes then hauled away. Their distraught mothers cry out for them and run after the trucks in desperation.
Beatings and Bolt Guns
Calves deemed “unprofitable” were killed in cruel and agonizing ways.
One calf was bashed over the head with a hammer seven times before finally dying, the blows raining down with sickening hollow thuds. A worker callously commented, “Like, you can hit it again and again and again, bro.”
Sick and injured cows were also cruelly killed. Inexperienced workers shot some cows in the head multiple times with captive-bolt guns. One cow was still moving her legs as a tractor dragged her away by the neck through the mud.
Cows’ corpses were simply left to rot or dumped into pits. One cow, who had died in labor, was dumped with her partially born calf still inside her.
Milk Means Misery
Workers routinely shocked cows with cattle prods, punched holes in their ears without painkillers, left sick and lame cows to languish for days without veterinary care, and repeatedly kicked and cursed at downed cows who were unable to get up.
PETA Asia has reported the case to authorities.
You Can Help Stop This!
Investigation after investigation has shown that cruelty and suffering are the dairy industry’s stock-in-trade—worldwide. There is simply no humane way to obtain milk intended for calves. The best way to stop this suffering is to pledge to go vegan and enjoy the many varieties of dairy-free milk, cheese, butter, yogurt, ice cream, and other products that are readily available in stores everywhere.