Whistleblower: Cows at Dairy Farm Trapped in Quicksand Made of Their Own Waste
The only thing more dismaying than what goes on in this video is watching it and still choosing to buy cheese or other dairy foods. The footage shows cows suffering from illnesses, serious injuries, and infected wounds at what a whistleblower says is Ferme Ste-Sophie, a Canadian dairy farm that milks and profits from more than 1,000 cows and reportedly has plans to grow even larger.
The whistleblower video above shows a calf (who’d been torn away from her mother, even though cows form strong maternal bonds with their calves when left in peace) who was so sick that she was trembling uncontrollably. Another injured, apparently downed cow can be seen trapped in a quicksand-like pit of manure, where she reportedly lay for two days before being shot and killed.
Infections and wounds were allegedly common occurrences at the Canadian dairy farm. According to the whistleblower, one cow couldn’t bear any weight on her painfully infected hoof but was still regularly forced to stand for daily milking. Another cow reportedly gave birth and bled profusely for days—the farm’s owner eventually shot her in the head, according to the witness.
Live cows were allegedly forced to remain among the decomposing bodies of their dead friends for days.
The whistleblower also reported that three workers at the farm kicked a cow giving birth while her calf was hanging out of her and that another worker forcefully and repeatedly struck a lame cow with a garden hoe. As a result of the filthy conditions, diarrhea-inducing parasites allegedly ran rampant in the calf population, and as many as 12 afflicted calves were shot in a single day.
The Ministère de l’Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation du Québec (Québec’s department of agriculture) claims to have investigated the whistleblower’s allegations but won’t release records related to any investigation that it may have conducted. So we’re calling on the farm to make the agency’s findings public and share what corrective actions (if any) have been taken to address the cows’ suffering, which is so clearly evident in this footage.
Authorities’ Inaction Must Become Our Reason to Act
This is the misery behind every bite of cheese or sip of cow’s milk. The only way to eradicate your contribution to cows’ suffering and death is to give dairy (and meat and leather) the boot. Join us in standing against the cruelty depicted above by always choosing vegan:
Still unsure? Take our 60-second “Should I eat cheese?” quiz to discover why vegan cheese is the only way to go.
