PETA's CA Cow Billboard: 'Her Baby Taken So You Can Eat Cheese'

SAN BERNARDINO, CA — California's Cheese Trail is a path of pain for cows, according to the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), and that message looms large in the Inland Empire.

PETA has paid for a billboard at 1098 W. Base Line Street in San Bernardino. The giant sign is situated along California's Cheese Trail, and just a few hundred feet away from cheese seller Farmdale Creamery at 1040 W. Base Line Street.

The billboard depicting a sweet-faced brown and white cow reads, "Face It! Her baby was taken away so you could eat cheese."

The "Face It!" media blitz launched June 3 and is part of PETA's protest against the declaration of June as National Dairy Month. The billboard is designed to "tell a tale" on the cheese trail: "cows suffer for dairy," according to PETA.

"Every animal is someone — not something — yet mother cows’ beloved calves are taken from them and their bodies are repeatedly ravaged, simply so humans can eat dairy cheese," PETA President Ingrid Newkirk said in a released statement. "The cheese trail is a path of pain, and PETA is pointing out not only its cruelty but also how easy it is to choose creamy vegan cheeses that leave cows in peace."

The sky-high message in San Bernardino gives California Cheese Trail patrons "food for thought about the suffering behind every wheel of brie or cut of Camembert ...," according to PETA.

The California Cheese Trail meanders through the Golden State. Along the way, 45 cheesemakers are listed as points of interest. Farmdale Creamery is listed.

According to the About Us page on cheesetrail.org, "California Cheese Trail promotes artisan creameries and family farmers because we love them. By connecting cheese lovers to shops, classes, events, and tours throughout California, we’re helping save small, family farms, promote rural agrotourism, and support the development of specialty, hand-crafted food."

Farmdale, which markets cheeses, sour cream, buttermilk and whey protein concentrate, did not immediately return a request for comment for this article.

PETA said it is also posting "Face It!" ads along the Pennsylvania Cheese Guild cheese trail in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

The nonprofit animal welfare organization is known for its investigations and no-holds-barred approach. The anti-dairy-cheese campaign is no different.

"In the dairy industry, calves are torn away from their mothers, often within a day of birth, so that the milk meant to nourish them can be sold in supermarkets as cheese, yogurt, and creamer," according to the organization. "PETA’s investigations have found dairy workers electroshocking cows in the face, hitting them with poles, and otherwise abusing them. Once the mother cows’ bodies wear out from repeated pregnancies, they’re prodded down the ramp to slaughter."

CLARIFICATION: While Farmdale markets cheese, a representative said the company has not made cheese for seven years.