Investigation Reveals Sadistic Cruelty at Ohio Dairy Farm

Mercy for Animals just released undercover video footage revealing extreme, malicious cruelty at a dairy farm in Ohio. The investigation took place over four weeks between April and May at Conklin Dairy Farms in Plain City, where the routine abuse documented included stabbing cows with pitchforks, violently punching young calves in the face, twisting cows' tails until the bones snapped, beating restrained cows with crowbars ... and bragging about it all.

Dr. Bernard Rollin, professor of animal science at Colorado State University, said "This is probably the most gratuitous, sustained, sadistic animal abuse I have ever seen. The video depicts calculated, deliberate cruelty, based not on momentary rage but on taking pleasure through causing pain to cows and calves who are defenseless."

If you have the stomach to watch the video, you can see it on the petition created by Change.org member, Joan E Loza Mobry, to shut down Conklin Dairy Farms. You've been warned: it's graphic and disturbing.

As Dr. Rollin said, it's not just the abuse — which is bad enough — but the sadistic nature of the cruelty. As I watched, I kept wondering how these farm workers could face other human beings, act like they'd just had a regular day on the job, or as if they were capable of normal relationships.

Gene Baur, President and Co-founder of Farm Sanctuary, issued a statement on the investigation:

“This video should be an eye-opener to anyone still unsure of what all the fuss is about concerning the treatment of farm animals in Ohio. The cruel and violent behavior depicted in the video is indicative of an attitude that sees farm animals as mere production units, rather than as living, feeling animals. Undercover investigations at farms in Ohio and elsewhere routinely turn up instances of systemic cruelty.

Bad has become normal on today’s farms ... The cruelty and violent behavior that is now common on farms where animals are seen as commodities is outside the boundaries of acceptable conduct in our society."

Gary Conklin, owner of the fourth-generation family business, issued his own statement:

"The video shows animal care that is clearly inconsistent with the high standards we set for our farm and its workers and we find the specific mistreatment shown on the video to be reprehensible and unacceptable. We do not condone animal abuse on our farm."

The standards set for his farm can be seen less than a minute and a half into the video where Gary is kicking a downed cow. When the company says they'll fire anyone found to have willfully abused the animals, they might as well close their operations now.

But that's not going to happen.

Right after the investigation was finished, Mercy for Animals contacted the City Prosecutor's Office of Marysville; they're pushing for animal cruelty charges against the employees.

Is what happened at Conklin Dairy Farms worse than what happens at other farms?

It would be nice if Conklin was an isolated incident, both for the sake of animals and our society. Even if all of the investigations by organizations like Mercy for Animals, Farm Sanctuary, and the Humane Society of the United States were each isolated incidents (and, given the number of investigations that have taken place over the years, it's hard to believe that they are), it shows that cruelty, at one level or another, is completely entrenched in the industry. These companies say with a straight face that they operate by the highest standards.

This is not an industry that can be trusted to regulate itself. We need meaningful legislation at the state and federal level that makes it clear that abusing farm animals is a crime. There's a ballot campaign going on in Ohio right now to ban cruel confinement systems.

Getting rid of veal crates probably wouldn't change much for the calves at Conklin Dairy Farms, but it's a step in the right direction of acknowledging that all animals deserve humane treatment. We need to ensure that cruel treatment of farm animals is punishable by law. And don't underestimate the power of voting with your wallet with a compassionate diet.

Image from Mercy for Animals video