Sometimes I consider myself a hardened PETA veteran. With each new investigation I force myself to watch, I convince myself that that I've seen the worst abuses that animals are subjected to. But then something like this new video, which was shot by an undercover worker at an Ohio dairy factory farm, hits my desk, and I am again moved to tears by the way people exploit and abuse animals:

In the video, which was recorded over the past few weeks by Mercy For Animals, workers at Conklin Dairy Farms are seen beating cows with crowbars and stabbing them with pitchforks. One worker wires a cow's nose to a metal bar and then repeatedly beats the cow with another bar as she bleeds.

These findings are similar to what PETA revealed when we went undercover at a Land O'Lakes supplier in Pennsylvania. Over the course of several months, PETA's investigation documented that cows who had trouble standing were kicked and electro-shocked. One cow's gangrenous, infected teat ruptured while she was being milked by a machine. Another cow collapsed in a deep pool of liquid manure and was left to languish there for hours as the urine and manure covered her body and coated her eyes, nose, and mouth.

The next time someone asks you, "What's wrong with eating dairy products?" tell them, "Everything!" and then show them these videos.

Please take a minute to share this investigation via e-mail, Facebook, and Twitter. Then let your friends and family know that the best way to help prevent cows from suffering these abuses is to go vegan. If you haven't already taken that leap, check out these cruelty-free alternatives to dairy foods to get started.

Update: A man who police believe to be one of the dairy farm workers who was recorded on video beating cows with crowbars and poking them with pitchforks was charged yesterday with 12 counts of cruelty to animals!

Billy Joe Gregg Jr., 25, was jailed in Mechanicsburg and was to be arraigned on Thursday. Each cruelty-to-animals charge he faces carries a maximum penalty of 90 days in jail and a $750 fine.

Written by Shawna Flavell

PETA just launched a TV public service announcement about the filth and cruelty that we exposed in our undercover investigation of a farm that supplies Land O'Lakes. Apparently, some Philadelphia-area viewers were so sickened by the ad that they complained to the TV station that aired it. (If only they'd complained to the perpetrators of the abuse, instead!) As a result, the station pulled the spot after it had aired just twice:

Yes, it's graphic, but that's what happens in the dairy industry: Cows are electro-shocked and jabbed with knives, they live in stalls covered in urine and feces, and sick cows collapse and die. There's nothing pretty about the way that animals who are used to produce milk are treated, but those who still eat these products sometimes prefer to live in blissful ignorance.

Sure, we're disappointed that our ad is no longer airing, but there's still a way for it to reach millions: People like you and me can make the ad go viral! So what are you waiting for? Help us by sharing the pulled ad through Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, blogs, e-mails, and any other way you can think of.

Written by Jennifer O'Connor

We're betting the dairy farm that the people of Philadelphia will be swapping out their 2 percent milk for deliciously nutritious soy milk (or rice or almond milk) after seeing this PETA public service announcement (PSA), which began airing in the Philly area yesterday:

Last September, PETA unveiled our five-month undercover investigation of a Pennsylvania-based factory dairy farm that supplies Land O'Lakes. Although we brought the abysmal conditions to Land O'Lakes' attention, the company has done nothing to address the abuse behind the butter. And the Pennsylvania legal system failed to spread any brotherly love—much less protection—to cows on dairy farms, which means that it's up to us to stop this stomach-churning cruelty.

Please pressure Land O'Lakes to implement and enforce the 12-point animal-welfare program that PETA has recommended. And, of course, it goes without saying that you should keep all dairy products out of your grocery carts, right?

Written by Amy Skylark Elizabeth

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9229859@N02/ / CC BY 2.0

Did you know that in a period of just 12 years, from 1996 to 2008, the market for soy milk grew more than eight times over? The folks in the dairy industry know—and it's got them scared. Never ones to play fair (subsidies, anyone?), the cow exploiters are now trying to get the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to stop companies that make soy milk and other nondairy beverages from using the word "milk" on their product labels.

Heaven forbid that the word "milk" should become associated with something that's actually humane and healthy, right? At any rate, it looks like the FDA is going to ignore this insulting and time-wasting request, and it's a good thing too—who knows what the dairy pushers would go after next? Would new mothers have to buy "mammary secretion pumps"? And who wants to treat digestive upset with nondairy fluid of magnesia?

Thanks to Laura Lewis for sending this story our way.

Written by Jeff Mackey

Cows are cool, and so is bling. And that's what makes Alternative Outfitters' 'Go Veg' Cow Pendant Necklace a must-have accessory.

Handmade out of recycled aluminum, this pretty conversation piece is a great way to spread the pro-vegan message (and look good while doing it). So cow's about trying to win one of these necklaces? Just tell us what mooved you (OK, I'll cool it with the cow puns … for now) to go veg. The person who leaves the most inspiring comment will walk away with this awesome animal-friendly accessory.

Before you start dreaming about fine jewelry, please read the fine print: The contest ends on May 12, 2010, and we'll pick the winner on May 15, 2010. Be sure to read our privacy policy and terms and conditions, as you're agreeing to both by commenting.

Good Luck!

Written by Amy Skylark Elizabeth

http://www.flickr.com/
photos/reactionphotography / CC BY-SA 2.0

I was taught that babies came from a cabbage patch, but I just found out that some babies come from a hamburger patch. According to a recent article, a beef-eating British baby momma gave birth to a nearly 14-pound boy! She's admitted that she gorged on a boatload of beef throughout her pregnancy, and when she gave birth by Caesarean, it took three people to lift baby Harry out (see, it really does take a village to raise a child). Joked one medical staffer who helped in the delivery, "Have you got a school uniform ready?"

For the love of healthy babies, let's just hope that Harry isn't raised on cow's milk and meat, which are laced with growth hormones. Here are some parting words of advice for the new mom:

1. Lift with your knees.
2. Stick with veggie burgers.

Written by Amy Skylark Elizabeth

Agência Brasil / CC by 2.5 Brazil

Psst! Have your hair and your love life lost their luster?

According to Bolivian President Evo Morales, eating flesh from chickens that have been given female hormones could make men go bald and have "problems being men."

When chickens are given hormones, as they are in so many countries, it gives credibility to Morales' chrome-dome claim, and there are hard facts that eating meat causes impotence. And for another mood killer, if you catch your man rooting around in your bra drawer, it might be because he needs the support: Consuming meat and milk laced with estrogen and other hormones may contribute to the development of "moobs."

Thanks for your advice, Mr. President. For even more presidential advice on all things animal-related, pick up a copy of PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk's latest book, The PETA Practical Guide to Animal Rights.

Written by Amy Skylark Elizabeth

What will it take to make California stop misleading consumers about its unhappy cows? Last fall, we filed a complaint against the California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) for alleged false advertising, asking the Federal Trade Commission to make the CMAB end its misleading campaign, and big names like John Robbins and Ginnifer Goodwin have shown cows big love by writing to the FTC in support of our complaint. Now, PETA's latest move in the pursuit of happiness for California's cows is sure to turn heads in the state's capital:

Cows on dairy factory farms are not given much more than the numbered ear tag that's used to identify them. PETA's undercover investigation inside Land O'Lakes supplier Reitz Dairy revealed deplorable, filthy conditions for cows on the Pennsylvania farm, such as pens that were filled with deep excrement and cows who collapsed, becoming "downers," but who were not given veterinary care or put out of their misery. Yet when this information was presented in a court of law, the judge found the owners not guilty after testimony that our heartbreaking photos and video footage showed "standard practices" for the dairy industry.

Drugged, over-milked, and kept in filthy, crowded lots, the typical California cow is anything but happy. Instead of encouraging CMAB to continue misleading consumers, take a minute to contact the FTC and then save a cow by downing a tall glass of soy milk.

Written by Logan Scherer

Got breast milk? In the wake of a recent report that says the nation could save billions on healthcare costs if more mothers breastfed their babies, we're running a billboard in Lexington, Kentucky, that encourages people to DLJD (Do Like Jesus Did):

Kentucky has one of the lowest percentages of women who breastfeed their babies, and according to this new report, the state's children have an increased risk of falling victim to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), necrotizing enterocolitis (the death of intestinal wall tissue), lower respiratory infections such as pneumonia, and other illnesses.

Our billboard aims to show Kentucky residents that by fortifying human babies and saving the lives of cows, breast milk is also the blessed milk. Seriously—if it was good enough for Jesus, it's good enough for any baby.

Written by Logan Scherer

Despite overwhelmingly sad video and photographic evidence of lame, thin, and downed cows left to suffer and die and a cow whose teat was banded and left to decay and fall off—not to mention expert testimony that all this constituted cruelty—a judge whose courtroom was packed with dairy farmers today found the owners of Reitz Dairy, a filthy Land O'Lakes supplier in Pennsylvania that PETA investigated last year, not guilty.

Conditions like these were defended as "standard dairy practice"!

PETA's investigator found cows on this factory dairy farm collapsed, lame, and struggling to hobble through a deep soup of feces and urine in the perpetually filthy conditions. Cows suffering from painful infections and severe lameness were deprived of even basic care; dying cows were not even put out of their misery. PETA's video shows injured cows as they are kicked, shocked with a high-voltage electric prod, and jabbed along the spine with the open blade of a pocket knife.

A little pat of butter? PETA has brought the abysmal conditions on this farm to Land O'Lakes' attention, but the company is doing nothing to prevent such abuse and neglect on its suppliers' farms and continues to buy from Reitz Dairy.

Cows are great mothers, loyal herd members, wise, and gentle. Studies show that they will sacrifice their own interests for the benefit of the group and that they communicate in subtle ways with facial expressions that we can't even register. When they figure out a puzzle, such as how to open a tricky gate, they have a "eureka moment" and jump for joy.

Because cows cannot rely on the law to protect them, it's up to every concerned person to take a stand—to vote against cruelty with our shopping cart. As this case has vividly demonstrated, milk, cheese, and butter do not come from "happy cows" who frolic in lush green pastures. They come from miserable cows confined to crowded, muck-filled barns—cows who are forcibly impregnated, only to have their newborns yanked away from them so that humans can drink the milk that nature intended for their calves.

That's why we must continue to pressure Land O'Lakes to, at the very least, implement the 12-point animal-welfare program that PETA has recommended. And each one of us needs to "file charges" against factory farms every time we shop by refusing to purchase their ill-gotten products.

Written by Alisa Mullins