I am writing on behalf of Mercy For Animals (MFA), a national, non-profit animal protection organization, to ask that you reinstate the “No Mercy – Calf Farm Cruelty Exposed” video on Vimeo. The video can be viewed via YouTube at www.mercyforanimals.org/calves.

Earlier this week, MFA’s “No Mercy” video documenting routine abuse of calves raised for the dairy industry at E6 Cattle Company in Texas was removed from the Vimeo website. We have learned through a WebProNews.com article that Vimeo removed the video because it violates the company’s Terms of Service. According to the article, a Vimeo spokesperson stated: “Vimeo cares deeply about the issue of animal cruelty and has specifically banned content that contains gratuitous animal cruelty… While we understand that the point of the video is to protest cruel practices against cattle and we are sympathetic to that cause, it nonetheless violates our Terms of Service.”

We understand the importance of prohibiting videos of gratuitous animal cruelty, but “gratuitous” means “lacking good reason.” MFA’s videos document egregious cruelty to animals, but for a very good reason: to expose and end animal abuse. While we admire their intent, it would be more beneficial to animals if Vimeo created a clear policy against “glamorized” animal abuse videos instead of censoring educational videos and effectively shielding animal abusers from public scrutiny. MFA’s groundbreaking investigations have a long history of leading to successful criminal prosecutions of animal abusers, raids of factory farms, corporate animal welfare policy reforms and increased legal protection for animals – all testament to the crucial role these videos play in preventing cruelty and educating consumers. Censoring these videos is counter productive and harmful to the animals Vimeo claims to care so deeply about.

MFA’s meaningful gains for animals include the results of our Conklin Dairy investigation, which was widely viewed on Vimeo and exposed animals being beaten in the face with metal pipes, repeatedly stabbed with pitchforks, having their tails broken, and being kicked, thrown, and punched by employees. Upon release of the investigative video, a farm worker was arrested and charged with 12 counts of cruelty-to-animals, numerous dairy suppliers ended their relationships with the facility, support was generated for a statewide animal protection initiative, and consumers nationwide learned about the dark side of dairy production.

A 2009 MFA investigation at an egg farm in Maine, which was posted on Vimeo, prompted the Maine Department of Agriculture and state police to raid the farm on grounds of cruelty to animals. Grocery chains nationwide dropped the farm as an egg supplier, and as part of a landmark civil settlement, the mega-farm pleaded guilty to 10 counts of cruelty to animals, agreed to pay over $130,000 in fines and restitution, and handed over authority to the state of Maine to conduct unannounced inspections of the
facility for the following five years.

The “No Mercy” video posted on Vimeo is part of MFA’s important mission to educate consumers and bring justice to animals who are routinely tortured and killed in factory farms and slaughterhouses. It is vital to our efforts to hold the E6 Cattle Company and its owner accountable for egregious cruelty to animals and that the public be able to access and disseminate this video. We respectfully request that the “No Mercy” video be reinstated on Vimeo as soon as possible, in order to help us bring these animal abusers to justice.

Thank you for your time and consideration. You may contact me directly at…

I look forward to your positive
response.
Sincerely,