Great Lakes Cheese Implements Animal Welfare Policy

Great Lakes Cheese of Hiram has implemented a new animal welfare policy in the wake of an investigation that showed unethical practices at a former dairy supplier.

The company said in a news release that its new 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, and proper veterinary care for sick and injured animals.”

The policy follows what Great Lakes Cheese characterized as “a shocking undercover investigation by Mercy For Animals” at Andrus Dairy in Wisconsin — now a former supplier to Great Lakes Cheese. The investigation “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.”

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