Organic farmer speaks out over cruelty claims
An organic farm near Bath that produces award-winning cheeses has dismissed a worker over cruelty allegations.
Undercover footage appears to show verbal and physical abuse of cows at Bath Soft Cheese Company’s Park Farm in Kelston, near Bath.
The footage, shot by Animal Justice Project - an pro-vegan organisation dedicated to ending the use of animals in farming shows some distressing scenes.
The farm’s owner Hugh Padfield said he was “horrified” by the footage, which was shot between March and September this year, and has said a member of staff is being dismissed after it came to light. He stressed that the video shows moments of “unacceptable” behaviour by a staff member and that the rest of the staff care deeply for the animals.
The video shows a member of staff slapping, punching, and kicking cows, as well as hitting them with plastic pipes around their hindquarters, legs and udders. The video also shows the separation of calves from their mothers, which leads to some animals wailing.
The Animal Justice Project, whose vision is for a vegan world, showed the footage to veterinary and welfare experts, including Professor emeritus of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Colorado, Marc Bekoff.
He said: “It is never acceptable to hit and kick farmed animals, particularly when they have nowhere to go, as viewed in this footage. Cows can discriminate between people who handle them roughly and those who are gentle with them.”
There is video evidence of at least one cow showing severe lameness, while calves only a few days old were held in narrow pens with very little room and no contact with others.
Vet Dr Molly Vasanthakumar said: “The lameness is most likely exacerbated by the long waiting times in the slurry-filled concrete collecting yards and passages prior to milking.”
“The footage presented by Animal Justice Project reveals unacceptable methods of handling cattle. Cows are rushed through slippery, slurry-filled concrete walkways, hit with gates and alkathene pipes, and shouted or sworn at.”
The Animal Justice Project says the findings should serve as a wake up call.
Claire Palmer, the project’s director, said: “Footage captured on this multi-award-winning organic dairy is in stark contrast to the image portrayed by the farm.
“Callous kicking, slapping, punching, yelling and swearing at cows; the desperation and anguish of calves who cried for days after being separated from their mothers; and the pitiful individual housing afforded to youngsters for up to a month post-separation preventing play and other normal, social behaviours.”
Mr Padfield, whose family has been running the farm since 1914, said: “We are horrified by the scenes of a herdsman hitting cows. It is totally unacceptable. The member of staff involved was recently hired, we have taken disciplinary action and he will be leaving the farm.
“Anyone who knows Bath Soft
Cheese and Park Farm will know that we strive to be as open and transparent as possible, inviting discussion about organic farming, milk production and artisan cheese-making.
“Our ethos is to be open, friendly, accessible and honest in everything we do, which is why the farm has public viewing areas. Our aim is to maintain the highest standards of welfare on our farm and we expect our staff to adhere to these standards at all times. Our farm has public viewing access because our ethos is that we are a transparent and open business and we actively encourage members of the public to come and see what happens on our farm.”
He continued: “Animal Justice Group are being disingenuous when making accusations about calf pens, as they will know that all our calf pens and particularly these individual calf pens are on show to the public everyday. There is no attempt to mislead the public, we are keen to be transparent about how the farm is run.
“The newly separated calves are kept in individual pens to make sure that they are drinking their full allocation of milk each day. When we are confident that they are strong then they are moved into larger pens with other calves of a similar age.
“We keep lame cows separately in the central loose-bedded area, which one of the cameras filmed. This area is overlooked by a viewing area. The cows have to be walked out of this area to be examined by the vet who visits regularly.
Mr Padfield said: “Dehorning is carried out to stop cows injuring each other. Whenever we do this it is carried out under local anaesthetic and under veterinary guidance. Like any animal receiving veterinary treatment, calves may struggle when you attempt to hold them still, but to reiterate this will have been carried out under local anaesthetic.
“We are concerned that this footage, which is highly edited to mislead, selectively chosen and portrayed with no context, does not represent what happens on our farm on a daily basis, where animal welfare is at the heart of all we do.”
“Our ethos is to be open, friendly, accessible and honest in everything we do, which is why the farm has public viewing areas. Our aim is to maintain the highest standards of welfare on our farm.
Hugh Padfield