Please enjoy this article from the latest issue of our magazine, PETA Global. To begin your subscription, become a PETA member today!
The cycle of misery begins in the filthy barns, where calves, who are separated from their mothers shortly after birth, are forced to lie in their own manure and urine day after day. Most are denied any opportunity to set foot outdoors.
Welcome to Reitz Dairy Farm.
Aching Joints, Acres of Concrete
Imagine hundreds of cows confined to a cramped space with concrete flooring day in and day out, and you’ll get an idea of the misery that’s typical of dairy farms like this one.
Forced to stand and lie down in their own accumulated waste and to walk on wet, slippery floors, cows often incur serious injuries. Dozens of the animals on Reitz Dairy Farm had painfully swollen, ulcerated joints. Others had wounds on their sensitive udders or teats and were spattered with manure, but they got milked anyway.
Many cows, including one I called Caroline, were limping badly. Yet when I discussed their condition with the farm manager, he refused to provide them with veterinary care.
Refusing to treat such injuries is “woefully common” on dairy farms, according to veterinarian Holly Cheever. “[O]nce a cow is put on antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medications,” she says, “the milk cannot be shipped for human consumption during treatment and for … several days thereafter. Thus, the economics dictate a complete lack of treatment.”
What became of Caroline? Workers stuck her in what they called the “outback barn,” and she later died in a stall.
The Milk of Human Cruelty
This wasn’t PETA’s first investigation into Reitz. In 2009, another PETA eyewitness documented cows there being kicked, electroshocked, and jabbed with a blade. Several whistleblowers have come forward over the years, including one who reported seeing the company’s owner and his son slit the throats of conscious cows. I saw one worker strike a cow nearly 60 times with a cane after she got stuck in a milking stall and hit another repeatedly when she balked at
entering the milking area. Despite extensive evidence of wrongdoing, the Pennsylvania State Police have refused to take any meaningful action against Reitz Dairy Farm.
PETA and its affiliates have exposed horrendous conditions on dairy farms all around the world. At a New York facility that supplied the maker of Cabot Cheese, PETA documented workers’ beating of cows with poles and a cane and their practice of burning off calves’ sensitive horn tissue. PETA Asia filmed distraught mother cows chasing after the trucks that were hauling away their newborn calves on an Australian farm. On a Texas farm that supplies sour-cream manufacturer Daisy, farmers inserted medieval-looking spiked rings into calves’ noses to prevent them from nursing. A North Carolina dairy farm was shut down after PETA revealed that cows there were being forced to wade through rivers of manure up to 3 feet (0.9 meters) deep. Completely disregarding animals’ comfort and love for their
offspring is integral to the dairy industry.
Take Action Now
If law enforcement won’t act, it’s up to you! Help end cruelty to cows and calves by replacing their milk and cheese with tasty vegan options, including Miyoko’s Cultured Vegan Butter and Stokes artisanal vegan cheeses. Please watch and share PETA’s video and to urge the National Farmers Organization – whose customers include the maker of Pennland Pure cheeses – to reconsider its ties to Reitz.
