Conscientious milk drinkers pay a premium for Alexandre Family Farm dairy, at least in part due to its “Certified Humane” label. The large organic farm, which sells A2/A2 milk at stores like Whole Foods nationwide, touts its regenerative farming techniques and the compassionate treatment of its cattle, which are free to roam over green pastures near the California coast.
But a class action lawsuit filed this month alleges the Crescent City operation has a history of violating the requirements for that “Certified Humane” status. The complaint, which represents consumers allegedly misled by the label, also names Humane Animal Farm Care, the non-profit that granted that designation.
The lawsuit follows a report released last year by the animal advocacy group Farm Forward, documenting alleged abuse of cows at the Alexandre Family Farm, as well as coverage by The Atlantic magazine.
Andrew deCoriolis, executive director of Farm Forward, said whistleblowers provided thousands of photos and videos from the farm. He brought that evidence to veterinarians and animal welfare experts.
“Those experts describe the conditions as fairly horrifying,” deCoriolis said.
The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, provides a long list of alleged abuses at Alexandre Family Farm, which run afoul of “Certified Humane” requirements as well as California animal welfare law. The allegations include calves being kept in dirty, small enclosures for a month longer than the certification allows, the practice of pouring salt into cows’ eyes and the gluing of a denim patch over the wound in cases of infection and cancer and the dehorning of adult cows by saw without pain medication.
In a statement, Alexandre Family Farm denied the allegations and welcomed the opportunity to disprove the claims in court.
“Our mission is to farm in harmony with nature and to honor the Earth and all of the animals under our stewardship,” according to the statement. “Our commitment to our animals is unwavering.”
The issues at Alexandre Family Farm, deCoriolis said, are indicative of wider problems in the country’s ethical labeling system. Specifically, companies have a strong financial incentive to obtain designations like "organic" or "humane."
“You have to be very skeptical of these labels. You have to look at them in the same way you might… environmental and climate marketing from an oil company,” deCoriolis said.
He also said staff at Alexandre Family Farm did not provide medical treatment to potentially thousands of animals in order for the farm to maintain its organic status, which limits antibiotic use.
The complaint, which requests a jury trial, seeks more than $5 million in damages for alleged failures by the farm that occurred from at least 2019 through last summer.
