A New Mexico dairy farm is caught in an animal scandal as seen in the video where workers are abusing cows. The dairy farm supplied dairy to Leprino Foods whose customers include Papa John's, Domino's and Pizza Hut.
An activist from an animal welfare group secretly recorded the video of workers whipping, punching and kicking the animals in the farm Winchester Dairy. The New Mexico Livestock Board launched an investigation in the farm. They're currently trying to interview the witness and track down the assailants.
The Dairy has launched its own investigation and has fired all the workers in the farm. They said that animal care and well-being are vital in their operations. They cooperated with the authorities and referred the workers to law enforcment. The dairy farm also transferred the cows to other farm with a strong track record of animal welfare.
The dairy said, "We remain committed to the ethical and responsible treatment of the animals and have learned from this incident."
Leprino Foods terminated their contract with the establishment and said they're repulsed at the actions done by the workers. However, they do not want the incident to reflect negatively in the dairy industry.
"This isolated incident does not reflect the daily care and comfort that New Mexico dairy farmers provide their cows," said Leprino Foods.
Domino's spokesperson Tim McIntyre takes the same stance. "A few sick people - whom we hope are prosecuted - do not represent the thousands of innocent people earning a living for their families, whether they work on farms, in cheese production, or in pizza shops," said McIntyre.
The activist group Mercy For Animals submitted the video along with other compilation of animal abuse cases to the livestock board on Thursday. The group's investigation uncovered six other dairy farms across the country treating animals the same way.
Winchester Dairy is one of the 140 family-owned dairy farms in New Mexico. The state is among the top ten states responsible for dairy production in the country.
