Darigold: Claims of sick cows and abuse ‘deceptive, desperate’ union tactic

Darigold says recent accusations by a labor union alleging mistreatment of cows by member dairies are patently false and “deceptive,” and just the latest in a longstanding effort by the United Farm Workers of America to organize workers across the Northwest.

The union released pictures last week purporting to show sick cows with injuries or infection to their udders and other body parts, including one being milked despite damaged, bleeding udders.

A union spokesman claims workers have reported seeing blood and pus from the cows getting into the milk supply, and their complaints have been ignored.

But a representative for Darigold says the allegations are untrue and an insult to the over 500 farmer families and their employees who devote their lives to caring for their animals and providing the healthiest, most nutritious products possible.

“It is critically important to Darigold and we take any allegation questioning food safety very seriously,” says Steve Rowe, General Counsel & Sr. Vice President, Corporate Affairs. “Abuse on a dairy farm is counterproductive to what the farmer is trying to achieve.”

Rowe says all milk produced by the member farms is subjected to a series of stringent controls from both state and federal regulators and internally at every step from the farm to retail.

“Milk is one of the most highly tested and highly regulated foods in the world,” he says. “There are monthly quality testings that occur under the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance, the FDA does spot checks, our co-op has staff that regularly visits farms and checks for milk quality. There are checks that are done on the milk on every load that is picked up.”

Lucy Severs, Food Safety Program Manager with the Washington State Department of Agriculture, also challenges the union’s claims. She says her department has received no formal complaints and inspectors have not seen anything to support the allegations.

“We do thousands of inspections on these farms and we just don’t see it” she says.

Rowe says a preliminary investigation of the photos released by the union determined they are several years old. He says injuries to one cow shown with bloody udders were caused by a worker who was subsequently fired, while supposed infection shown in another picture was actually normal chafing following the birth of a calf.

But Jorge Antonio Valenzuela, PNW Regional Director for the United Farm Workers of America, insists the pictures accurately depict conditions at some farms.

“We have sworn affidavits from workers saying that it is from their farms and we have more pictures that have been taken recently,” he says. “We’ve talked to workers in several different farms belonging to Darigold and they’re saying that this type of mistreatment is common.”

But Severs counters the claims. “That’s just not going to happen and we can observe that,” says the state official.

Farmers in the dairy cooperative are all members of the Northwest Dairy Association and participate in a national animal care program known as FARM (Farmers Assuring Responsible Management) and adhere to strict standards of animal care, Rowe says.

“The goal of being a dairy farmer is to have comfortable, contented cows. We have a saying in the dairy industry that you can’t take milk from a cow. She’s got to give it to you.”

The latest allegations follow a consumer lawsuit filed last week accusing the dairy cooperative of producing milk “under conditions where dairy cows are injured and sick, where despite suffering from bloody and swollen udders, cows are still milked, and where workers are denied the most basic labor protections, such as drinkable water, lunch rooms, meal and rest periods, and an environment free of discrimination,” the complaint said.

But Rowe argues the complaint is just the latest in a series of unsuccessful attempts by the union to grow its membership in the Northwest.

“Darigold has not made any effort to prevent or discourage the unionization of dairy farm workers,” he says. “Our members’ employees have rejected these organizing efforts of their own accord. This lawsuit is the desperate act of an organization that has failed to achieve its goals by appropriate means.”

Valenzuela insists the union is merely seeking to provide fair protection to workers and animals alike, and alleges member farms refuse to negotiate.

“We’ve spoken to workers in Oregon, Idaho and eastern and Western Washington, and they say this stuff is going on. We are more than willing to talk to Darigold and figure out a compromise that would be helpful for the workers and to make sure this stuff doesn’t happen.”

Rowe says it’s just not true. “We’ve met with them and representatives many times over the years, and have offered pathways to grow relationships in a very positive way and the effort has been rejected at every step.”