Moving past the systemic failures that impact farmed animal welfare

In addition to serving as Executive Director of UUAM, Rev. John Millspaugh is also Director of Education for Farm Forward. In that completely separate role and organization, in 2024 he investigated the USDA Organic, Certified Humane, “regenerative" Alexandre Family Farm, an industrial dairy, and uncovered what some have termed one of the most serious cases of humanewashing ever documented. In June 2025, he provided UUAM an update on some of what’s unfolded since his report “Dairy Deception” inspired The Atlantic’s article, “The Truth About Organic Dairy.” 

Those who have been following this story know that in response to a complaint I submitted about Alexandre, USDA scrutiny resulted in Alexandre admitting the truth of many of Farm Forward’s allegations. Although the dairy had originally claimed that “many of the allegations are either totally false or fabricated half-truths,” Alexandre has now admitted to at least three dozen of the violations we alleged, ranging from spraying organic cows with diesel fuel for fly control, to painful procedures performed without anesthesia, to severe neglect that led to dozens of cows’ deaths. That same complaint led us to learn that the National Organic Program and Alexandre’s certifier, California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF), confirmed at least 50 of the violations that I had documented, though that confirmation was not made public until I acquired it through the Freedom of Information Act. 

What you may not know is that a new follow-up report details the systemic animal welfare failures of the USDA Organic program and other government and independent certification programs involved in the Alexandre case, those of law enforcement after we made them aware of Alexandre’s abuses, as well the failures of retailers who continue to sell Alexandre products despite our making them aware of Alexandre’s humanewashing (presumably because their continued profits may override any moral qualms about perpetuating false advertising and animal abuse). The report exposes legal and regulatory exceptionalism in which government agencies, law enforcement, certifiers, and retailers prioritize animal agriculture’s interests over protecting animals or consumers, and documents how this coordinated failure sustains an extraordinary level of humanewashing. But the report is not without hope: it outlines the urgent reforms needed to curb these abuses: 

• independent organic and animal welfare certifiers eliminating conflicts of interest and meaningfully verifying producer compliance, 

• more robust consumer education, cutting through deceptive marketing, 

• government agencies separating promotion from regulation and adopting clear, enforceable standards, and 

• organic standards removing their perverse incentives that currently incentivize producers to withhold therapeutic treatment from sick animals who need antibiotics. 

If you are curious to learn more about how government, certifier, and retailer failures collude to perpetuate the illusion of farmed animal well-being while animals suffer behind the scenes, and learn, too, about pragmatic, achievable courses of action that would lead to meaningful improvements, I encourage you to read this follow-up report.  

The ripples from our original investigation are far fromThe Failure of Organic & Animal Welfare Certifications | Publications | Farm Forward over. Our investigation inspired not only two ongoing lawsuits, but also an organic watchdog and an organic trade group to launch their own investigations, which were completed in 2025. The watchdog has now levied its own complaints to USDA’s National Organic Program and Office of the Inspector General; the trade group downgraded Alexandre EcoDairy from “Top-Rated” to “Poor” on its prominent consumer scorecard. New stores started removing Alexandre products from their shelves in the final quarter of 2025. 

My work at Farm Forward is ongoing:

• exposing the humanewashing and greenwashing endemic to animal agriculture, 

• pushing USDA’s National Organic Standards Board to improve Organic standards, promoting dietary shifts away from the over 99% of animal products that fund factory farms and/or deceptive welfare certifications, 

• pointing to possibilities for a more positive future, and more.

I am grateful that my part-time roles at UUAM and Farm Forward allow me to engage in such meaningful work in both positions, and just as grateful for the spiritual companionship of all who work to build a better world for all animals, human and nonhuman. Thank you for your shared commitment to this work. 

Knowing that I have compatriots like you—and feeling that support and solidarity—is part of what keeps me going. Let’s keep at it … together!