Arla suspends Yorkshire farmer after shocking footage shows cows being punched and kicked

An investigation carried out by animal welfare group Animal Justice Project (AJP) discovered cruelty to cows and their calves at the Yorkshire farm which homes over 2,000 animals.

Cows were seen being violently kicked, punched and struck, while calves were slapped after being separated from their mothers on Lowfields Farm, Northallerton, which supplies milk to Arla - the largest producer of dairy products in Scandinavia and the UK.

As a result of the undercover investigation, Arla has suspended the farmer, calling the abuse towards the animals captured as "completely unacceptable".

Arla supplies milk to a number of retailers.

The footage shows cows being violently kicked, punched, and struck with pipes and electric goads.

Newborn calves can be seen being force-fed, slapped, and separated from their mothers within minutes of birth in the video.

"This investigation exposes not only the shocking cruelty inflicted on cows and calves at this Arla farm - marketed as a leader in UK dairy - but also the brutal, hidden reality these animals face daily in milk production", said Claire Palmer, Director of Animal Justice Project.

"Crucially, this was not the misconduct of a single worker; abuse was systemic, involving all staff, including the farm manager.

"This indicates that mistreatment was not only routine but also tolerated and ingrained within the farm's operations, raising serious concerns about Arla's standards and oversight.

"We demand legal action and corporate accountability from supermarkets and brands profiting from this cruelty."

Dead calves can also be seen in the footage being left in plain sight of grieving mothers and other calves, with farm sheds housed nearly double the intended number of animals, leaving them standing in filth, stated AJP.

Lame cows, struggling to walk on the video, were forced onto transport trucks, which AJP claims is in apparent violation of the Welfare of Animals (Transport) Order 1997.

Footage also showed blood dripping from a calf's head and a cow bleeding while being milked, and AJP stated many cows had swollen udders, indicating infection.

Dead calves and an adult cow were left in the open, posing disease risks, and workers were also filmed whipping cows with hoses "exhibiting blatant cruelty toward distressed animals", added the welfare organisation.

Former UK Government's Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer, Alick Simmons, who viewed the footage, said: "On a large dairy farm such as this, there will be events where the routine handling and movement of cows will be challenging.

"But there is little that could be said in mitigation of the events shown in this video.

"The repeated and unconstrained use of sticks and electric goads is gratuitous and excessive.

"This is particularly notable during the loading of cows onto a cattle transporter. On a number of occasions, offences against the Animal Welfare Act 20061 appear to have been committed."

Animal Justice Project is calling on supermarkets like Asda and Aldi to cut ties with farms linked to abuse.

Edie Bowles, Solicitor and founder at the legal firm Advocates for Animals, said: "The deliberate cruelty shown in the footage my client gathered is nothing short of shocking.

"Legal protections are in place to protect farmed animals from exactly this, so why does the footage indicate that the keepers of these dairy cows are able to behave this way on a seemingly regular basis in front of one another. Is it the case that the laws that protect animals are not taken seriously?

"This is supported by the Animal Sentience Committee, which released a report last week that confirmed that the enforcement of laws that protect farmed animals is lacking.

"This is unacceptable, animals must receive the legal protections they are entitled to".

A Red Tractor spokesperson told The Daily Mirror: "We take animal welfare extremely seriously.

"Within eight hours of Red Tractor receiving this footage from the Daily Mirror an independent assessor was on the farm to investigate this unacceptable behaviour by farm workers.

"This inspection confirmed all individuals identified as mistreating animals no longer work on the farm.

"To ensure the future welfare of animals, Red Tractor will require all those still working on the farm to complete additional training. Depending on the outcome of further investigation, the farm may also face other sanctions."

A spokesperson for Arla stated: "Animal welfare is of the utmost importance and we take a zero-tolerance approach.

"We take any matters relating to this extremely seriously. The actions that are shown in this footage are completely unacceptable and do not meet the high standards that we expect from our farmers.

"The individuals in the video are no longer employed at the farm, however, Arla has taken the decision to suspend the farmer whilst we investigate this further. While the investigation is still ongoing, we have already put a number of measures in place alongside independent auditors and external standards organisations."

Lowfields Farm houses 2,400 cows and, according to staff, produce 273,000 litres of milk per week.

Arla Foods UK, the UK's largest milk producer, reported £1.2 billion in revenue in the first half of 2024 and plans to invest £300 million in UK farms.