EcoNews Staff
On April 11, 2024, Farm Forward, a research and advocacy non-profit focused on environmental and animal rights abuses of factory farming, released a comprehensive report of alleged abuses and likely certification violations happening at Alexandre Family Farms (AFF). Alexandre Family Farms is considered by many to be an aspirational model of sustainable and humane agriculture, and the company certainly markets itself as such.
Farm Forward’s 52-page report is based on “hundreds of videos, hundreds of photos, and more than a dozen affidavits.” Since the release of the report (and quite a disappointing response by AFF), Regenerative Organic Certified has suspended AFF’s certification, Certified Humane appears to have delisted AFF, the ASPCA has removed AFF from its Shop With Your Heart list, and Whole Foods has removed its “Restarting Dairy” marketing page which features AFF as an example of ecological and humane dairy practices.
The report contains horrific instances of alleged animal neglect and abuse, as well as likely violations of environmental standards including:
- withheld medical treatments and ineffective “folk” treatments potentially leading to worse outcomes
- cows dragged by chains, their faces scrapping over gravel and concrete
- dehorning without pain management
- the trampling of over 40 cows during a rush to eat after the herd had been without hay for several days
- calves heads getting stuck in various locations, untended to, ultimately perishing still stuck
- potential water quality violations, including where and how carcasses are left to rot
- staff being instructed to “spray down the entire herd with diesel fuel” to deal with large quantities of flies (due to carcasses) and further instructed to lie to certifiers about the purpose of sprayers.
Read the full report: https://www.farmforward.com/publications/dairy-deception-corruption-and-consumer-fraud/
EcoNews staff also recommend The Atlantic’s article on the report, “The Truth About Ogranic Milk” by Annie Lowrey, published April 12, 2024.
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/04/alexandre-farms-treatment-of-animals/677980/
For our thoughts on humane-washing and the importance of documenting animal abuses, keep an eye out for the next issue of EcoNews coming out in July.