U.S. Judge Stops Hot-Branding of Cows’ Faces in Dairy Buy-Out
A federal judge today issued a preliminary injunction that leaves in effect a ban on hot-iron branding of the faces of cows in the government’s dairy buy-out program.
“The testimony before me clearly establishes that freeze-branding is a viable alternative to hot-iron branding since it causes less pain to cows and a accomplishes all the objectives outlined by the defendants (the government),” U.S. District Judge Michael Telesca said in issuing the temporary injunction.
The Humane Society of Rochester and Monroe County contended that the branding was cruel.
On April 4, Telesca issued a temporary restraining order that halted a $1.8-billion federal program to pay dairy farmers not to milk their cows in order to reduce the oversupply of milk products.
The branded cows were to be slaughtered or exported under a program designed to reduce the surplus of dairy products.
Justice Department lawyer Shalom Brilliant said the ban will cause a flood of low-priced red meat.
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