FAIR OAKS, Ind. — An animal rights group that infiltrated a popular Indiana dairy farm and captured disturbing undercover video that has led to animal cruelty charges against three former farm workers released new footage Wednesday showing workers punching and striking adult cows with poles while loading them into a farm milking carousel.

Animal Recovery Mission said its new video shows workers abusing adult cows behind the scenes at Fair Oaks Farms at a milking carousel at the popular agritourism destination about 70 miles south of Chicago.

The Miami-based group’s release of the new footage comes a week after it released video showing workers kicking and throwing calves at Fair Oaks Farms’ dairies. That and other video the group later released led to animal cruelty charges against three former employees. One was taken into custody Wednesday.

The new video shows employees punching adult cows, striking them with metal poles and apparently breaking the tails of some uncooperative cows the workers are trying to load into the carousel. Farm tour footage that is part of the video captures a guide telling visitors that cows like the carousel, saying it’s “a joy ride for them.”

Fair Oaks didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment about the latest video. Farm officials have said the farm draws about 500,000 tourists per year.


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