Clover touts ethical treatment of animals

Clover Sonoma, Petaluma’s largest dairy company, is celebrating 20 years as an American Humane certified dairy, a key recognition of its ethical treatment of animals and an increasing draw for like-minded consumers.

Clover Sonoma was the first dairy certified by American Humane, the first national animal welfare organization. In fact, Clover helped American Humane create the certification program 20 years ago, according to Kristel Corson, Clover's vice president of sales and marketing.

“We brought together our farmers and their scientists and hammered out the first set of standards,” she said. “We think it’s important that we have set standards so that cows can live happy, healthy, dignified lives.”

To get the American Humane seal of approval on a milk carton, a dairy’s cows must meet five standards: They must be free from hunger and thirst; free from discomfort by providing an appropriate living environment; free from pain, injury, or disease; free to express normal behavior by providing sufficient space; and free from fear and distress.

Farmers that supply Clover are audited by American Humane each year. The Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group lends its certification to a number of programs, including pet rescue and poultry producers, and monitors movie productions to ensure no animals are harmed on sets.

Currently, only three dairies in the U.S. are certified by American Humane, according to the organization.

“In 20 years, American Humane has seen significant growth with some 1 billion farm animals certified per year,” said American Humane President and CEO Robin R. Ganzert. “However, only a handful of other dairy companies have followed in Clover Sonoma’s footsteps. Although other humane certifications exist, American Humane Certified goes above and beyond for the welfare of our animals.”

Achieving American Humane certification comes with a cost to dairy farmers, Corson said, but Clover compensates them by paying top dollar for their milk. And the label is attractive for conscientious consumers who prefer to spend their money on ethical products like free-range eggs, conflict-free jewelry or sustainable forest products.

Corson said American Humane certification is a step above an organic label, which Clover also has along with a conventional line of dairy products.

“Animal welfare is a hot topic connected to the dairy industry,” Corson said. “We want to be able to share that the cow is the central part of the whole equation. It’s about education, letting the consumers know.”

Marcus Benedetti, CEO of Clover Sonoma, said that the certification was another way the Petaluma company was leading in the dairy industry.

“Over the past three generations our family has stewarded this business to elevate the dairy industry,” he said in a statement. “We fought against the introduction of the growth hormone rBST, and made the choice to be one of the first dairies west of the Mississippi to not allow it in our milk supply, but we knew that the most critical commitment was caring for our cows. We chose to partner with American Humane, because of its established commitment to animal welfare. We work with them to give ourselves a benchmark of care to share with our farms, but also to help set a standard of care for animals across industries.”

(Contact Matt Brown at matt.brown@arguscourier.com.)