Britain’s biggest dairy producer has suspended milk collection from some of its farms after The Mail on Sunday exposed workers’ cruelty to helpless cows.
They were secretly filmed kicking cows on the ground, dragging them across concrete with farm vehicles and beating them with metal bars.
Following our report last week, Arla Foods, which collects milk from 2,400 UK farms, launched its own investigation that confirmed the ‘unacceptable behaviour’.
But the multi-billion-pound giant would not say how many farms had been suspended.
The undercover footage, filmed by the Animal Justice Project, also showed a newborn calf being ripped from its mother just 25 minutes after birth, and workers urinating in cow pens.
Other clips showed cows being marched to a milking parlour in shackles and forced to sleep in straw caked with urine and faeces.
Tonight Tesco confirmed it had suspended three farms supplying its milk following the revelations – Oak Lodge in Leicestershire, Kingston Hill in Oxfordshire and Bramley in Northamptonshire.
Morrisons has described the footage as ‘deeply concerning’.
The undercover footage, filmed by the Animal Justice Project, showed one helpless cow being hoisted by its hips
The Animal Justice Project has exposed how dairy cows have their hooves chained. After the cruelty was exposed, Tesco will no longer receive milk from three farms
Calves will often be separated from their mothers within hours of being born – however, this is permitted under current rules
Animal Justice Project put hidden cameras in ten barns as part of an investigation into 15 Arla farms that began after whistleblowers and members of the public raised concerns about the cows’ welfare. Claire Palmer, the campaign group’s executive director, said: ‘This investigation is not about
one farm or one worker losing their temper. Across 13 counties and 15 Arla farms, we documented the same problems again and again.’
Their findings appear at odds with standards Arla sets for its farmers, with 100 rules to protect animal welfare and milk quality.
Arla said it was strengthening animal welfare essentials across its farms, with mandatory annual animal-handling training for all farm staff, given by an external expert, and more unannounced audits taking place.
Arla added it had assessed a number of farms featured in the coverage where no specific animal welfare concerns were raised, and had found no issues relating to the handling of animals.
In a written question tabled by Labour MP Kerry McCarthy, Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary Dame Angela Eagle has been asked to urgently investigate the welfare breaches.
Ms McCarthy said the dairy industry relied heavily on self-reporting, adding: ‘Put simply, they have been allowed to get away with it for far too long. This is a wake-up call to improve welfare standards on British farms.’
