A calf ranch located southwest of Keyes has become the focus of the American Humane Society and other animal activist groups for workers’ alleged mistreatment of calves.
In late February members of Direct Action Everywhere, or DxE, flew drones over the Agresti Calf Ranch in the 7600 block of Central Avenue and recorded the activities of two employees working with calves. The video shows the men locking the head of a cow into a stall and removing its horns with a hot iron, a practice known as “disbudding.” DxE asserts that workers did not administer anesthetics to the cows beforehand the process which is an industry guideline to minimize pain. The cow is seen in the video struggling to pull its head away as a cloud of steam rises up and the calf dropping to the ground in pain.
Removing horns from a cow is a common practice to prevent injury to workers and other animals as well to keep cows from getting caught in barbed wire fencing. But dehorning is controversial because of the pain it inflicts on the animal and is only recommended after local anesthesia is applied as well as sedation by a veterinarian or a trained professional. Some dairies, however, do not follow those guidelines.
Industry expert Temple Grandin, a professor of livestock medicine at Colorado State University, reviewed the footage and told the LA Times that the calves’ reaction indicates pain medication was not applied before the procedure. She also said that punching and kicking cattle is considered abusive.
The drone video also shows the men using plyers or some kind of other tool to pull a calf by the nose through the headlock. Since calves have highly sensitive noses such a practice is painful to the animal.
One of the workers is also seen forcibly booting one calf in the head to push it out of the headlock.
Industry standards mandate that calves must be restrained in ways that minimize stress.
“The reality is that even at the supposed best of the best dairy companies, newborn animals are ripped away from their mothers, confined, mutilated and forced into submission through violence,” said Almira Tanner, Direct Action Everywhere’s lead organizer, in a press release. “That’s what the dairy industry is built on. They go to great lengths to mislead the public but you can’t take the violence out of dairy.”
DxE had its attorney contact the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department and District Attorney’s Office on Feb. 27 to report of violations of the state’s animal cruelty laws.
According to the Humane Society, one of the workers seen in the video was fired.
Agresti had its attorney send a cease-and-desist letter to Direct Action Everywhere on April 23, threatening legal action for flying drones over the ranch to spy. The letter noted: “Employees are fearful of invasion of their privacy rights, and the cows are easily upset by the noise and unusual overhead flight patterns of the drones.”
The Agresti Calf Ranch is operated by the owners of the nearby Double D Dairy who owns more than 10,000 cows at several farms.
Representatives of Agresti and Double D Dairy were unable for comment but Dominic Assali, an owner of Double D, said in an email to the Los Angeles Times: “Animal welfare and safety are incredibly important to us, and we have a zero-tolerance policy for any mistreatment. We’ll always take immediate, thorough action to address any operational issues, as we have in this instance.”
Many in the farming community have denounced the tactics of Berkeley-based Direct Action Everywhere, saying they are a radical vegan and animal rights group seeking to end consumption of all meat products. Their motto is “Until every animal is free.”
The group has come under fire for trespassing, conducting thefts of certain animals which it labels “open rescues.” DxE’s activities have led to police responses and felony indictments.
