Representatives of the dairy and agriculture industry in general are just as outraged as the general public over an alleged “undercover” video of animal abuse on an Ohio dairy released yesterday by activist organization Mercy For Animals (MFA)
MFA claims the video, which depicts savage and sick behavior toward dairy animals, was filmed over a four week period on Conklin Dairy Farm in rural Union County. Speaking on Ohio’s Buckeye Ag Radio Network, Ohio Farm Bureau Federation spokesman Joe Cornely said, “I don’t know any farmers who condone these type of actions. I haven’t spoken to anyone this morning who condones these types of actions.”
“Activists will spin this to tar the entire industry,” Cornely said, “but we know that this video does not represent the vast majority of farmers.” Comparing the video to cases of abused animals and horses, he pointed out that no one draws the conclusion that “all pet owners abuse their pets.”
The MFA release on the video quotes Dr. Temple Grandin, a cattle welfare expert and advisor to the USDA, “The handling of both the calves and cows was atrocious animal abuse. These people were deliberately torturing animals and their behavior was totally sickening.”
Dairy producer and agriculture advocate Michele Payne-Knoper wrote about the video on her blog. “The crap you see on the heinous videos from animal rights activists, like the one being released by Mercy For Animals about a Ohio dairy farm, is not what’s happening on every farm,” she writes. “And, speaking as a dairy person, seeing such cruelty makes me want to cry and keeps me up at night.”
Gary Conklin, owner of the operation, says he does not condone animal abuse on his farm. “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,” Conklin said.
After releasing it to the media, MFA has reportedly turned the video over to the prosecutors office and will be holding a press conference today. The question that should be asked is how anyone who cares about the humane treatment of animals could have had the stomach to spend four weeks video taping such heinous abuse. The people shown in the video punching, kicking, stabbing, and viciously attacking these defenseless animals are clearly sick human beings who should be held liable for their individual actions. Whoever videotaped could be an accomplice accessory to the crime by not reporting the abuse to authorities immediately.