Bettencourt Again

Bettencourt Again

David Sparks Ph.D.
David Sparks Ph.D.
The Idaho Statesman recently reported from a Times News story that Luis Bettencourt sold the Dry Creek dairy, one of the largest dairies in the United States several weeks ago. Everyone remembers the hubbub created several months ago in which animal activists calling themselves Mercy for Animals had an employee secretly video atrocious abuse of dairy cows and it was published. Outrage over the motivation led to Idaho's controversy real so-called ag-gag laws that prohibit private citizens from trespassing and taking such videos. Upon reading the story, my immediate reaction was that Mercy for Animals had been instrumental in the sale of Dry Creek and had in effect, driven Bettencourt out of business. I called Bob Naerbout, Executive Director of the Idaho Dairyman's Association and made that postulation and wanted to get the story straight: "They took a great dairy producer and drove him out of business. That was my initial reaction, but I'm calling you to find out if that is true? No. He has been working on downsizing for quite a few years. Dry Creek would have been sold with or without that video being displayed. He had 60,000 cows and now he is down to 35,000. 35,000 cows is still a heck of a lot of cows. It sure is. So I cannot go after the animal activists for driving him out of business? No. I like the idea though. (Laughter)
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