3 ex-workers charged with animal cruelty at Indiana dairy

[People Eating Tasty Animals]

FAIR OAKS, Ind. – Three former employees of a large northwestern
Indiana dairy have been charged with animal cruelty following
the release of undercover video showing workers kicking and
throwing young calves, officials said Monday.

The misdemeanor charges for the beating of animals come amid a
public backlash against the popular agritourism destination Fair
Oaks Farms, which is also the flagship farm for Fairlife, a
national brand of higher protein, higher calcium and lower fat
milk.

Newton County officials didn't identify those charged or release
details of the allegations against them on Monday, saying the
investigation was continuing. The video released last week
showed calves being hit with steel rods and burnt with branding
irons by farm workers.

Newton County Prosecutor Jeff Drinski said those charged didn't
include the investigator for the Miami-based animal rights group
Animal Recovery Mission who secretly recorded the video last
year while working for several months at Fair Oaks.

"But he has been identified and will be interviewed," Drinski
said. "The video footage is being translated and further
interviews will be conducted to determine if allegations of
complicity by the planted employee or others are in fact true."

The sheriff's department has said its investigation would
include any witnesses to abuse at the farm's dairies about 70
miles (113 kilometers) south of Chicago. Many of the
conversations in the video involved people speaking Spanish.

Fair Oaks Farms founder Mike McCloskey said in a statement last
week that four employees seen in the video hadbeen 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.

Drinski said Fair Oaks Farms "has cooperated completely in our
attempts to identify and interview all persons involved in the
videos that we have all viewed over the past week."

Fair Oaks, which said it draws about 500,000 tourists a year,
has temporarily suspended its home delivery service of milk,
cheese and other products, in part to protect drivers it says
are facing harassment over the video.

Some retailers have also pulled Fairlife products from their
shelves. Those included Chicago-area groceries Jewel-Osco and
Strack & Van Til and Family Express, which operates convenience
stores across Indiana.

https://www.foxnews.com/us/3-ex-workers-charged-with-animal-
cruelty-at-indiana-dairy