Earlier
today, Cesar Morales-Iniguez pled no
contest to three counts of criminal animal cruelty. His conviction stems from
an undercover investigation by Mercy For Animals at Winchester Dairy near
Roswell, New Mexico. MFA documented Morales-Iniguez stabbing cows with a
screwdriver and a key, pummeling animals with his fists, and viciously whipping
them with a thick rubber hose. The Chaves County District Court gave him
concurrent sentences of 364 days imprisonment, suspended pending his successful
completion of probation. He was also ordered to pay
fines and court fees totaling $165.
MFA’s Winchester Dairy
investigation exposed multiple dairy workers maliciously beating cows, dragging
them with tractors, and shocking them in the genitals with electric prods.
Morales-Iniguez is the second worker from this facility to be convicted. Jose
Luis Zuniga-Lira pled no contest to two counts of animal cruelty in December 2015. The cases of two
other individuals charged with animal cruelty are still pending.
MFA praises the New Mexico
Livestock Board and the Chaves County District Attorney’s Office for pursuing
justice for these abused and exploited animals.
Watch the footage that led
to the conviction here:
At the time of MFA’s
investigation, Winchester Dairy sold milk to Leprino Foods, the world’s largest
mozzarella cheese maker and a supplier to nearly all major pizza chains,
including Pizza Hut, Domino’s, and Papa John’s. After the investigation,
Leprino Foods terminated its contract with Winchester Dairy, and following
discussions with MFA, announced one of the most comprehensive animal
welfare policies ever adopted by a major U.S. dairy company.