Kate Mara and the Animal Legal Defense Fund Expose Animal Cruelty at Dairy Farm

“The dairy industry is riddled with standard industry practices that go against our values,” says Mara. “Cows living in filth, being repeatedly impregnated, suffering painful infections of their mammary glands, and having their calves taken away at birth. But the depraved violence inflicted upon the cows at Dick Van Dam Dairy distinguishes this company as exceptionally savage and it should not be in operation.”

“The actions captured at Dick Van Dam Dairy are not isolated incidents or the result of a few bad actors, but a culture of abuse,” says Animal Legal Defense Fund Executive Director Stephen Wells. “It’s critical the public has a window into the dairy industry — and demand change. It is our intention to hold Dick Van Dam Dairy and its management accountable.”

The undercover video documents the following:

• Newborn calves who require care or medical attention left to die or decompose in the same pens with mother cows
• Cows being kicked, punched, and struck with splintered canes and metal pipes
• Workers poking cows in the eyes and twisting their tails to the point the bone breaks
• Injuries to and infections in the cows’ udders; emitting puss and turning the milk pink from blood, requiring the dairy to discard it
• Workers using machinery to lift downed cows (cows who cannot walk) up in the air by their ups – suspending them many feet above ground – and leaving them in the dirt to die

B-Roll available to press upon request.