PETA Refutes California 'Happy Cows' Ad With New Palm Springs Billboard

Most California Cows Stand in Their Own Waste and Never Feel Grass Beneath Their Feet, Group Says

For Immediate Release:
July 6, 2010

Contact:
Michael Lyubinsky 757-622-7382

Palm Springs, Calif. -- Countering the California Milk Advisory Board's (CMAB) "Happy Cows" ad campaign, PETA has erected a billboard in Palm Springs that reads, "California Cheese Comes From Miserable Cows. Go Vegan." The billboard was installed on July 1 and will be displayed for four weeks. It is visible to east-bound traffic on Interstate 10 just west of the Highway 111 split.

CMAB television commercials feature the slogan, "Great Cheese Comes From Happy Cows. Happy Cows Come From California," and depict cows in an idyllic setting--a portrayal that couldn't be further from the truth. Cows on the state's dairy farms are typically crammed into mud- and feces-covered lots. They are genetically and chemically manipulated to produce unnaturally high quantities of milk, and many cows contract mastitis, a painful infection of the udder. These cows are milked despite being sick, and their milk often contains elevated levels of pus. Animals are worn out and sent to slaughter when they reach only a fraction of their natural lifespan.

California farms don't have a monopoly on cruelty in the dairy industry, but CMAB might boast the most far-fetched advertisements. PETA has lodged an administrative complaint about the ads with the secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture; the grievance is pending.

"Happy cows aren't those who are milked and forced to live in filth until they're spent and then killed," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "If the California Milk Advisory Board ran an accurate ad, people would be reaching for the soy milk."

For more information and to view a copy of the billboard, please click here.