Conklin Dairy Farm Update + Western United Dairy’s Response.

May 28th, 2010

A few new things have happened since the last update, most notably being Minerva farms, a cheese company who bought 100% of Conklin Dairy’s supply has completely severed ties with Gary Conklin and the farm. In the event that Gary Conklin somehow evades criminal charges in this case, which I still doubt will happen, his fourth generation farm will still be economically ruined. Taking the lead on the issue, Farm Sanctuary has already offered to help with the investigation and provide lifelong care for any of the animals on the farm.

As the investigation proceeds one of the most important things to monitor will be the response from the industry. One story to note is Western United Dairy’s condemnation of the abuse and videotape. Not only does the group scramble to portray Gregg Jr. as the bad seed, exonerating the rest of the industry, but WUD has also placed blame upon the undercover investigator as well, claiming,

“As disturbing as this video is, it is also very disturbing that those who shot this video admit they filmed these incidents for a month before reporting it to the authorities. For those of us who have viewed this horrific video, it is unconscionable that this undercover activist would remain silent for that long while these animals suffered miserably from this mistreatment. Those who stand by and do nothing in the face of this horrendous abuse are morally, if not legally, culpable. Western United Dairymen believes that that the severest penalties allowed by law should be imposed on all parties involved, as well as those who failed to stop and report these actions immediately to the proper authorities.”

WUD is working with legal counsel, Anthony Raimondo, to develop guidelines for its members that would require dairy employees to immediately report any instances of animal abuse they witness to the dairy owner. If the allegations were found to be true, the employee would agree that they would be fired immediately and the matter turned over to law enforcement. The guidelines would become part of the employees’ handbooks.

I can almost guarantee more industry attempts like this, as the industry will try its best to problematize undercover video. If this doesn’t scream effectiveness I don’t know what does.

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in News | 28 Comments »



28 Responses to “Conklin Dairy Farm Update + Western United Dairy’s Response.”

  1. k says:
    May 28, 2010 at 9:42 pm

    This makes me so mad!! I bet it is horribly difficult for the undercover investigators to not stop the abuse immediately. If it was me I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from hurting the abuser. But it is important to make these videos so that everyone can see what really happens on factory farms.

  2. Laura says:
    May 29, 2010 at 12:44 am

    I agree my first reaction because the abuse was so awful was how could this person let it happen. Yet if he or she had stepped in first they might have been in danger second they might not have seen the wide spread abuse at this farm. Thank God the Dariy industry appears To care.
    ………….Proof will be in What they DO now to police the farms they buy from. ………. Social Media 1, animal abuser 0

  3. Julie says:
    May 29, 2010 at 12:53 am

    At least the animals are now safe from further abuse!! As for the undercover investigators waiting a month to release the abuse, there must have been a reason?? I just hope they through the BIG book at that Monster Conklin!!!!

  4. mia says:
    May 29, 2010 at 1:06 am

    horrific, just horrible to treat innocent animals that way for no reason just to torment them

  5. Bonnie says:
    May 29, 2010 at 1:26 am

    I appreciate that the person who took the undercover video was able to constrain themselves from killing the perpetrators from Conklin Farm on the spot. I, on the other hand, would have put the metal clamps in those guys noses, pulled the rope hard, tied them up, skinned them alive, and then met out the same treatment they gave to those cows and calves by beating them senseless with crowbars, not to mention making sure they would never procreate their DNA to any offspring. Waiting a month was too long, but maybe it took that long to catch these monsters in the act?

  6. Pamela. says:
    May 29, 2010 at 1:30 am

    That’s the trouble, if those filming the evidence of abuse get caught filming, they risk being charged with trespassing or whatever and/or the camera being destroyed along with the evidence collected. And if they don’t get enough evidence the company, farm, whatever, always calls it “an isolated incidence” with “one bad seed” who they have reprimanded or sacked; and the abuse continues.

  7. Animalib says:
    May 29, 2010 at 2:06 am

    Personally, I feel that these people who do undercover videos are the bravest of all activists. Waiting a month was not only very difficult for them to watch these atrocities happening but they must have felt that the more evidence they got the better for the case against these criminals.

    WUD placing blame upon the undercover investigator for taking so long to report it, only shows that they are actually worried about it happening at their farm. Because to have someone undercover working for them undetected for a month only proves how good these undercover investigators are. What they are trying to say is BS because all the undercover investigators were doing is collecting as much evidence as they could and they did a fantastically great job. So the industry in general is now panicking.

  8. Susie says:
    May 29, 2010 at 2:53 am

    I just don’t understand how the people that abused the animals can sleep at night. If I have to correct my dogs behavior by being stern with them, it upsets me. I know it’s for their safety but, it still upsets me.

  9. Vanessa says:
    May 29, 2010 at 3:03 pm

    The worst crime that can come out of this is that people think this is an isolated incident perpetrated by a few bad apples.
    Over and over, very brave and determined animal rights people infiltrate these businesses and take video footage and it always shows the same thing – horrendous abuse and neglect of animals used in making money.
    It doesn’t matter what type of animal, or what type of industry, it is always basically the same horrific footage.
    People really need to open their minds and recognize the trends of these industries and the morally bankrupt people who profit from them.

  10. Nik Addison-Crichton says:
    May 29, 2010 at 6:19 pm

    It is absolutely TERRIBLE that these animals had to suffer for one second longer than they did. What would have happened if he had turned the tape in and it showed one incident? One isolated incident, explained away…..buried and no repercussions. I DEPLORE these people, the dairy industry as a whole and I detest that it took a month to get enough evidence. The evidence however will be the key to taking ACTION; which is what the animals need!

  11. cherokee says:
    May 29, 2010 at 7:56 pm

    This whole thing pisses me off too but orgs such as MFA have been forced to investigate for a period of time before making their moves and publicising their findings. Before anyone can make the claims we do about corps or industries the proper channels and bullshit must be adhered to first or we lose the case then are sued for slander and falsifying evidence ,md vid tampering. We all remember the horror that took place last year regarding the investigation of Quality Egg in Maine. Conklin WILL pay for what he has done!!!!!!!!!

  12. john says:
    May 29, 2010 at 8:08 pm

    Love the response… that the witness is to blame cause he/she didn’t stop it. Alas, It seems the boss himself is on the tape kicking a cow over and over. This is the norm, when animals are turned into ‘production units’

    peace to these, and all animals.

    john

    http://www.yogawithjohn.com/why-108

  13. Big G. says:
    May 29, 2010 at 8:24 pm

    Poor animals. This is an opportunity for everyone to share and care about this to everyone so they can finally see how and what many eat have to go through. Post that video call the politicians let get things happening. It is one thing to complain but it is another to do something so we can increase the time for the crime. They would do it for us. I hope Bobbi JOe gets a cell mate named Bubba who is an animal lover stupid loser.

  14. Marcia says:
    May 29, 2010 at 8:43 pm

    I suspect it was difficult for the undercover reporter to watch the abuse for that long. I wish it could have ended sooner, but in order to stop places like Conklin farms, authorities need irrefutable evidence or the guilty would try to evade punishment. Now they cannot discount the cruelty. I hope the dairy goes out of business and that it serves as an example to others that animal abuse could destroy them.

  15. Chris says:
    May 29, 2010 at 10:23 pm

    I think the WUD don’t understand that without numerous cases of the abuse, it would probably simply have been dismissed as a one-time thing. Personally I wouldn’t have the resolve to stand there while that was happening. I would probably go berserk on the guy and then I would most likely be the one in jail. The legal system is severely stacked in favour of the exploiters…

  16. jtwaldie says:
    May 30, 2010 at 2:18 am

    I have seen other undercover tapings, most notably Puppy Mill Undercover Exposure on Animal Planet just within the last few weeks and that young person who shot the video was traumatized by witnessing what he witnessed. It is NEVER easy to document such heinous abuse but document it they must or how else would these crimes be made public? The people who do this with little or no financial resources are to be applauded…They do it for pure love of animals. This abuse was going on for a long time as evidenced by how freely everyone was doing it, so applaud these people for bringing to light such horrendous abuses.

  17. Caroline says:
    May 30, 2010 at 2:52 am

    The problem I believe, with cutting short an undercover investigation, is that law enforcement and the District Attorney need to see a consistent pattern of abuse. If there was one day or a few days only caught on camera, it could have been taken lightly by authorities and they wouldn’t have enough charges. Unfortunately this is often the case. But when they see a regular pattern of abuse, it gives more of a leg to stand on. Believe me, I’m vegan and an animal rights advocate and peaceful person, and I cannot imagine having to have been there, witnessing this, and not being able to do anything about it. Please remember that this must have been EXTREMELY and tremendously painful for the undercover. Much love xoxo

  18. JP says:
    May 30, 2010 at 2:57 am

    As painful and difficult as it had to be for the undercover agent, it was absolutely necessary to get as much evidence as possible. I applaud that person’s courage because I know I wouldn’t have had the strength that he or she did.

  19. GEM says:
    May 30, 2010 at 8:28 pm

    First of all my sincere congratulations to the undercover agent. This would have been extremely difficult and emotionally traumatising but the necessary evidence showing a continual pattern of ongoing abuse was obtained. I suspect that the WUD hopes that the investigator would be blamed for not reporting the abuse to make them look better and to try and invalidate the evidence.

    That this is happening in other farms is obvious and one can only hope that, now this abuse is in the open, other farms will be forced to “shape up” or lose their customers!

  20. Julie says:
    May 31, 2010 at 4:32 am

    I was not even able to view the video. It was too sad. Hopefully those animals can be rescued and properly taken care of in additipn to dire consequences for the perpetrators of such atrocities.

  21. Alecia Cole says:
    May 31, 2010 at 2:49 pm

    I agree with everyone’s saying how totally cruel and abusive this behavior is on the part of the people at Conklin’s farm. The one person whom I think hit the nail on the head is Vanessa. You, Vanessa, are so correct in pointing out that the real travesty would be if people think of this as an isolated incident!
    This type of inhumanity goes on in every single aspect of the Factory Farm from the beginning of “life” for these poor doomed-from-birth animals to the inhumane way they are raised to the Hitleresque way they are murdered prematurely so that man can eat their flesh.
    Unfortunately, some people are going to continue to eat animals. The least they can do is treat the animals in a kind and humane way and humanely euthanize them. The pretty, neat little packages of meat in your grocer’s freezer represent an industry that is nothing short of barbarism in all aspects!

  22. Vivian says:
    May 31, 2010 at 4:18 pm

    The day after this story broke, government agency USDA upgraded Conlin’s Farms from Grade B to Grade A. He can now sell to other buyers beside cheese companies. USDA is another government agency that has done nothing and needs to be investigated.

  23. Julie van Niekerk says:
    June 1, 2010 at 11:40 am

    This cruelty has been exposed. What about the thousands of farm animals that still suffer to satisfy the greedy, selfish tastebuds of people. Live and let live!

  24. Bex says:
    June 3, 2010 at 3:27 am

    Yes. the undercover agent should be commended for their bravery and for doing what must be done knowing the visions of what they have seen will torment them in the future. I must point out that there is only a max of 90 days jail sentence for each ‘misdemeanor’, so each and every time a perpetrator was caught on camera his sentence is longer. so the animals were sacrificing their lives, blood, pain, and tears for a cause . . freeing themselves and ultimately all of their fellow animals from the abuser. it is too late for some but hopefully future generations from the Conklin cows can breathe easy . . . .

  25. Tyann Nicole says:
    June 10, 2010 at 2:53 pm

    BOYCOTT!!!!!!!!!!!! Boycott ALL and any of the companies who deal with these so called people at Conklin farms!Get them where it hurts in the wallet!!!!!!!As for charges .they should ALL be charged BUT we all know hick town politics./….Conklin will see NO charges , hes a big fish in a small sewer!

  26. kathy says:
    June 14, 2010 at 1:55 pm

    Is there a way to get a publication of all of Conklins business associates and whatever Conklin Dairy products are so we can boycott them and force him out of business? We need to know what his products are so we can distribute them to people for BOYCOTT purposes. The local government won’t punish for this, the people will have pursue its own justice.

  27. admin says:
    June 14, 2010 at 3:06 pm

    As for a boycott, since they have been upgraded I really doubt you are going to get that information.

    I would argue that boycotting all animal exploitation is your best bet.

  28. nancy alexander says:
    April 24, 2011 at 12:51 pm

    The very fact that the industry has chosen to try to criminalize the filming rather than address what they like to term “incidental” cases demonstrates the ir knowledge of the ubiquity of the abuse. But go ahead… Give us our martyrs…every good cause
    needs them.

Leave a Reply