Great Lakes Cheese, one of the largest cheese producers in the world, has just announced a significant new animal welfare policy that will reduce the suffering of thousands of cows across its dairy supply chain each year.





The new policy follows a shocking undercover investigation by Mercy For Animals at Andrus Dairy in Wisconsin—now a former supplier to Great Lakes Cheese—which exposed workers viciously punching, kicking, and beating animals, hacking off their tails with pruning shears, shooting cows in the face and nostrils with high-pressured water hoses, and dragging them by their necks with ropes attached to tractors.







Watch the undercover video here:









Recognizing the importance of meaningful animal welfare policies to prevent egregious abuse in its supply chain, Great Lakes Cheese is now requiring its dairy suppliers nationwide to abide by new animal welfare standards. The policy mandates:

An end to the cruel and unnecessary practice of tail docking by 2018



Pain relief during disbudding or dehorning



Provision of a safe, clean, and sanitary environment for cows



Proper veterinary care for sick and injured animals

While this is one of the most comprehensive animal welfare policies ever adopted by a major U.S. dairy company, we have encouraged Great Lakes Cheese to make this policy more meaningful by engaging third-party auditors to ensure that these standards are enforced.







With Great Lakes Cheese’s announcement and recent similar announcements by Nestlé , Starbucks , and Sodexo , it’s never been clearer that the days are numbered for factory farms that abuse animals. It’s now time for Walmart and Chick-fil-A to stop dragging their feet and use their power and influence to lessen the cruelty animals endure on factory farms.







Click here to ask Walmart to eliminate cruel confinement of pigs in gestation crates.







Click here to ask Chick-fil-A to stop torturing chickens.





