On June 4, 2019, ARM released disturbing footage of one of its most grueling factory farm investigations. During the investigation, initiated in 2018, an ARM undercover investigator captured surveillance evidence of the systematic and horrific animal abuse occurring at Fair Oaks Farm’s Dairy Farm Adventures, Indiana, USA.
Owned and operated by Mike and Sue McCloskey under the fairlife Corporation, Fair Oaks Farms is one of the largest dairy farm corporations in the United States. It has also repeatedly and publicly prided itself on ‘acting as a window to the agriculture world’ by providing complete transparency into a dairy farm’s everyday operations.
Every year, Fair Oak Farms educates millions of people and provides public tours of the entire dairy process from farm to table. The fairlife website states that (the animals are) “Always in Good Hands.” Despite these claims, ARM revealed what it considers to be the first realistic and honest audit of the Fair Oaks Farm and fairlife Corporation’s operations, including the daily mistreatment of the resident farm animals, information hidden from the public.
ARM’s investigation of Fair Oaks Farms Dairy Adventures also exposed a connection to the inhumane veal industry where male calves are transported to locations in North Manchester from Fair Oaks Farms.
Fair Oaks Farms is one of several dairies belonging to Select Milk Producers Inc, which is also the producer of the fairlife label. Failife and Coco-Cola have a joint venture with Select Milk, including fairlife Milk, Core Power, and YUP dairy products, sold in major grocery chains nationwide.
Click here to read ARM’s entire report to learn more about the animal cruelty and abuse that the dairy cows of Fair Oaks Farms suffer daily.
As consumers, you can make your voices heard by contacting Fair Oaks Farms, Publix, and Coca-Cola and demand that these products and companies cease supporting this incredibly cruel treatment upon dairy cows.
One of the most significant ways that the public can contribute to change in this industry is to choose plant-based choices and discontinue the consumption of dairy products.
Click here to read ARM’s entire report to learn more about the animal cruelty and abuse that the dairy cows of Fair Oaks Farms suffer daily.
Key Outcomes of Investigation:
• Viral Exposure: ARM’s video documenting the abuse, which quickly went viral. Within days, the footage garnered over 100,000 views on Facebook and surpassed millions of views on Vimeo. Public outrage and advocacy has continued, even now, years after the case was revealed.
• Arrests and Charges: Three employees were charged with animal cruelty following the release of ARM’s video.
o Edgar Gardozo-Vasquez, 36, was arrested on charges of animal cruelty and torturing or mutilating a vertebrate animal.
o Santiago Ruvalcaba Contreros, 31, and Miguel Angel Navarro Serrano, 39, were also charged nut not apprehended.
• Major Civil Action Legal Settlement: In April 2022, fairlife and Coca-Cola, agreed to a $21 million settlement in a class-action lawsuit. The lawsuit alleged consumer fraud and false advertising, claiming that fairlife’s marketing misrepresented the humane treatment of cows. The settlement received final approval in September 2022.
• Corporate and Consumer Response: Major retailers, such as Strack & Van Til, Jewel-Osco, and Family Express, removed Fairlife products from their shelves in response to consumer backlash. Prominent public figures and celebrity animal advocates, including Billie Eilish, joined in on ditching dairy, after seeing ARM’s shocking animal cruelty footage.
ARM remains committed to advocating for industry reform and continues to exert pressure to end the cruelty inflicted upon dairy cows and calves.
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