After undercover footage exposed the habitual beating and abuse of crippled cows at a factory farm in England, food retailers have cut ties with the operation.
Major supermarkets Tesco and Lidl and pub chain Wetherspoon will no longer source meat from Berryfields Farm in Daventry, England, after nonprofit Animal Justice Project revealed that farmworkers punched and kicked animals, allowed them to suffer from disease and injury without giving them proper treatment, and subjected them to other forms of cruelty, reported the Daily Mail.
The five-month-long investigation shows a “catalog of abuse and neglect,” including workers hitting cows with pipes, Animal Justice Project Spokesperson Claire Palmer told the Daily Mail.
An estimated 4,500 cows raised on the farm each year spend their lives on manure-covered concrete floors — most without adequate shelter from rain or sun — never getting to graze or spend time in grass fields. During the entirety of the investigation, workers never gave the cows fresh bedding.
Lameness, a long-term illness that makes walking difficult for cows, is likely caused by unsanitary flooring, a veterinary professor told the Daily Mail. Left untreated, cows will suffer chronic pain. And that’s exactly what happened at Berryfields Farm, according to the investigation.
Animals that could barely move had trouble walking through the slippery, sloppy conditions of the farm’s floor, falling and further injuring themselves. Some cows couldn’t get up. Workers did nothing to help, and let cows suffer from cuts and overgrown hooves until they took the animals to slaughter.
One video shows a worker hurling a bucket at a cow’s head, knocking the defenseless animal to the floor. Workers regularly yelled at the terrified animals to get them to move, according to the investigation.
“These are disturbing and unacceptable images,” a Tesco representative said in response to the investigation. “We require all our suppliers to uphold high animal welfare standards, and have immediately suspended this farm.”
Berryfields Farms has lost its Red Tractor certification, which is supposed to show high animal welfare standards for consumers.
Another Animal Justice Project investigation at another facility that is part of the Red Tractor program, Badgers Cross Farm, showed workers repeatedly hitting, kicking, and dragging calves by their legs, as they cried out for their mothers.
Between the two investigations, Animal Justice Project found a total of 23 violations of Red Tractor and Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs guidelines meant to ensure more humane treatment of animals on farms, the organization reported.
Unfortunately, inhumane treatment is commonplace at factory farms, where animals live in overcrowded, dirty, and unhealthy settings, denied the simple expression of their natural behaviors. About 73 percent of farm animals in the UK are raised on factory farms, according to Compassion in World Farming.
Animal cruelty like this, along with environmental concerns and health benefits, are likely why more people are now embracing plant-based diets. A Nielsen study showed that in 2019, red meat sales decreased by 185 million pounds in the UK.
Lady Freethinker applauds Animal Justice Project for exposing the horrific cruelty taking place at factory farms in the UK and encourages everyone to consider the benefits of a plant-based diet for us, them, and the planet.
This horrible cruelty must end!
This is an example of the disgusting, filthy paces which are RED TRACTOR farms! Take no notice of this label, it means nothing! Don’t buy meat- you can’t know the cruelty you might be supporting!
Evil people!! Put them in prison!
Unfortunately, factory “farms” are in existence the world over, They must all be disbanded because profit above all else is the goal of animal factories.
I AM CRYING FOR THE HORRIBLE TREATMENT OF COWS & ANY ANIMAL THAT IS USED FOR FOOD! WHEN WILL HUMAN GREED END???? WHEN HUMANS STOP EATING MEAT! WHEN PEOPLE REALLY THINK ABOUT HOW ABUSIVE THE FOOD SYSTEM IS TO INNOCENT ANIMALS WHO HAVE NO WAY TO RETALIATE. PLEASE, PEOPLE,
GO VEGAN! I DID 20 YRS AGO. NEVER A REGRET. I AM HEALTHIER THAN ALL MY FRIENDS & MORE ACTIVE !
My god people disgust me not only are they slaughtered for human consumption they are shipped as babies no water crammed in heinous conditions to eventually arrive in a godforsaken destination for god knows what fate! Stop this !
Does no-one ever do checks on these factory farms and why is there no CCTV in place?
There is a very special place waiting for these sadistic Farm Workers who abuse these poor cows and the baby calves. It’s called hell! I hope they burn there for eternity and I hope they have cow shit thrown on them every second of their life in eternity, these sick filthy humans
One day! One day all factory farming will be gone!!!!
All animals must be respected.
All this suffering, just so you can have a fucking hamburger. Carnivores, you may not be physically punching or hurling buckets at crippled cows, but you are completely responsible for this abusive nightmare.
GO VEGAN!!
Do these filthy, stinking, hell-holes for farm animals EVER GET INSPECTED??? If so, do the’inspectors’ actually LOOK AND SEE what goes on in these cess-pit factory farms or are they PAID to look the other way with corruption and greed being the operative words….The workers on these places are NOTHING but glorified thugs and the owners and management are just as bad and guilty as they stand and watch all the abuse, all the cruelty, all the brutality AND DO NOTHING.
Do these filthy, stinking, hell-holes for farm animals EVER GET INSPECTED??? If so, do the’inspectors’ actually LOOK AND SEE what goes on in these cess-pit factory farms or are they PAID to look the other way with corruption and greed being the operative words….The workers on these places are NOTHING but glorified thugs and the owners and management are just as bad and guilty as they stand and watch all the abuse, all the cruelty, all the brutality AND DO NOTHING.
I feel the people who treated this cow so badly should be in jail and not let them to have no more aminals
I feel the people who treated this cow so badly should be in jail and not let them to have no more aminals
go vegan
Shame on these sick minded individual.
There should be no room for cruelty in ‘‘tis world.
With all the horror stories from the farming industry never could I even think of eating an animal ever.
I have been a vegetarian for 40 years. Having no desire to eat meat .
Shame on these sick minded individual.
There should be no room for cruelty in ‘‘tis world.
With all the horror stories from the farming industry never could I even think of eating an animal ever.
I have been a vegetarian for 40 years. Having no desire to eat meat .
The retailers are doing the right thing. Now, I can see the unholy ag-gag law entering England. Where the coverage of horror filmed undercover would be prosecuted and the factory farms would be protected by law. But the real problem lay on the public, on the citizens of the world looking for the perfect steak instead of looking at the pleading eyes of a tortured animal. Veganism is the true solution for stopping the atrocities of the 20th century.
Well said Helene!! Vegans are the way to eat in this world today.
Since I have to keep my comments nice and family friendly I will say that I hope these workers don’t have a very long life and that they face a great and long time in prison.
This is appalling. Gratified to see that supermarkets have withdrawn their support.
However, this farm should be shut down to prevent further cruelty..
It also makes me wonder why these things happen.
Do farm hands have to be qualified? I believe they should.
More camera’s & vigilance is needed to protect animals.
The least these poor creatures could expect…
Did the Red Tractor certification body not conduct inspections and audits? Surely they would have picked up on this unless there is corruption involved. Why did the likes of Tesco not conduct due diligence on suppliers buy conducting inspections. They are also at fault.
How could any decent person work there. It just goes to show how many bored nutty sadistic people there are in this world.
This must stop animals need to be treated with kindness, fairness and love.
Just so sad. They should be ashamed of themselves. Please someone save these cows 🙁
This is HORRIFIC!!!!!~
Close all these animal Nazi/destruction camps and eliminate these humanoid monsters who have been and are still guilty of severe cruelty to animals. They have no right to life!
Do not drink milk, yoghurt or anything that comes from animals!
Dispicable people!
Unacceptable.
Factory farms need to be regulated, periodic inspections and even cameras.
The workers on these farms should be subjected to the same treat that they mete out to these poor unsuspecting animals 🐮🐂🐃🐄😥😥😡😠🤬
Well done Animal Justice Project. I hope action is taken against Berryfields Farms by the authorities.
It’s bad enough these poor animals have to die for humans.
Why do they have to be tortured before they are killed?
What kind of person does that?
Good job exposing these horrors.
Should happen everywhere.
This and other factory farms should be closed down by law and employees found abusing animals should be brought to justice and forbidden to work with animals again.
Time to start treating ALL NON-HUMAN animals, who happen to be much more human than our so called humans, as SUBJECTS- deserving of LEGAL RIGHTS – and NOT as objects at the mercy of RUTHLESS HUMANS.
As Thomas Berry says, THE UNIVERSE IS A COMMUNION OF SUBJECTS AND NOT A COLLECTION OF OBJECTS.
Factory farming is inherently cruel. It needs to be banned now.
Well done on the exposé!