Cows Dying on Organic Dairy Farm

Update: The bank
claimed ownership of the bankrupt couple’s property and wanted to sell the cows
to slaughter. But the original whistleblower stepped in and saved the cows’
lives, this time tenaciously pursuing a deal with the bank to allow her to assume
all responsibility for the animals’ care. Now the cows will live out their days
in peace and safety, never to be harmed for milk or meat. The cows’ original
owners still face cruelty-to-animals charges. 

Originally posted on March 6th:

Many
people are still laboring under the illusion that animals are somehow treated
better on farms that label their products “organic,” but a recent
cruelty case that PETA was involved with shows that animals on organic farms
often fare no better than those on non-organic farms.

A
whistleblower alerted PETA to a dairy farm
where hundreds of cows were starving and two or three were dying every week. The
whistleblower had tried to get the owners of the farm to feed the cows, but the
owners were bankrupt, and with no money to feed the animals, they had simply
left them to die.

This cow was
too weak to stand.

We
contacted local law-enforcement officials and, with the help of the district attorney,
got state veterinarians to go out to the farm. The vets confirmed that this was
indeed a case of cruelty and neglect, and police arrested the owners and
charged them with cruelty to animals. The owners were later released on the
grounds that they had to do whatever it took to care for the cows or they would
face felony charges. Some people in the community have donated food, and the
owners are juggling their finances to make food for the cows a priority. PETA has
confirmed that the cows’ health is improving.

While
these animals are doing better, across the country, cows are still suffering on
organic dairy farms. Often crowded into cramped sheds or onto mud-filled lots, cows
are repeatedly impregnated and have their babies taken away so that people can
drink the milk
that nature intended for calves. Don’t let your friends and family be fooled—”organic”
does not mean “humane.“