New PETA Billboard Exposes California Dairy Ad Fiction

Miserable Cows Stand Knee-Deep in Their Own Waste and Never Feel Grass Beneath Their Feet, Group Says

For Immediate Release:
April 14, 2010

Contact:
Ashley Byrne 757-622-7382

Sacramento, Calif. -- On the heels of PETA's formal complaint to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) questioning the veracity of the California Milk Advisory Board's (CMAB) "Happy Cows" television commercials, the animal rights group is erecting a billboard in Sacramento that reads, "California Cheese Comes From Miserable Cows. Go Vegan. PETA."

Knowing that today's consumers want reassurance that animals on factory farms are well cared for, the CMAB uses deceptive ads that feature the slogan "Great Cheese Comes From Happy Cows. Happy Cows Come From California." The ads also depict cows enjoying acres of green hills, shade trees, and verdant, rolling pastures. But PETA can show that cows on the state's dairy farms are, in reality, typically crammed into mud- and feces-covered lots that are devoid of any vegetation--not even a single blade of grass. Cows are repeatedly impregnated on what farmers call a "rape rack" and are genetically and chemically manipulated to force their bodies to produce unnaturally high quantities of milk. This cruel practice stresses many animals' udders and immune systems beyond endurance.

Newborn calves are routinely torn away from their mothers within hours of birth, leading many cows to wail for days and struggle fiercely to break out of farm enclosures. Male calves are usually sold for beef or trucked across state lines to be sold into the cruel veal industry. Female calves are relegated to small, restrictive stalls before eventually suffering the same fate as their mothers. Cows used for milk production are worn out and sent to be slaughtered for meat when they reach only a fraction of their natural life span.

"The fairy tale image isn't just misleading--PETA believes that the ads violate FTC requirements," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "If the milk board gave the public truth in advertising, people would reach straight for the soy milk."

For more information and to view a copy of the billboard, please click here or visit PETA's blog.