Billy Joe Gregg Jr. of Plain City, Ohio

Dairy Farm Fires Worker Over Animal Abuse Allegations

PLAIN CITY, Ohio — An dairy farm employee was arrested on Wednesday after video revealed alleged abuse.

An animal welfare group asked prosecutors to review undercover video that it says shows workers abusing cows at a central Ohio dairy farm, 10TV News reported.

The group, Mercy For Animals, said the video was recorded over the past More..month at Conklin Dairy Farms, based in Plain City.

The video was presented to the City of Marysville prosecutor's office for review, 10TV News reported.

Billy Joe Gregg Jr., 25, was arrested by the Union County Sheriff's Office and charged with several counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty.

Mercy For Animals publicizes what it calls cruel practices in the dairy, meat and egg industries and promotes a vegan diet.

The video shows workers holding newborn calves down and stomping on their heads. It also shows one worker wiring a cow's nose to a metal bar near the ground and repeatedly beating it with a bar while it bleeds.

On Wednesday, Conklin Dairy Cattle Sales issued a statement, saying it conducted an initial review of the video and found it "clearly inconsistent" with high standards set for its farm and workers.

"We have launched our own internal investigation into this matter and will be conducting interviews with everyone on our farm who works with our animals," the statement read. "We already have terminated the worker involved who was seen to have willfully abused our cows and calves."

The company said it was cooperating with authorities investigating the matter, and retraining all employees who work with animals.

ACTUAL UNDERCOVER VIDEO CAN BE FOUND HERE: WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT

http://www.mercyforanimals.org/ohdairy/