McClatchy Washington Bureau

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An animal rights group Tuesday renewed its campaign against the "happy cows" promotions by the California Milk Advisory Board.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, in a complaint to the Federal Trade Commission, claimed the Modesto-based board misleads consumers by depicting cows in lush pastures.

The group said the cows live mostly in manure-filled dirt lots and suffer udder infections because of a lack of veterinary care.

If the CMAB is to be believed, cows in the dairy industry are free to kick up their heels in rolling green fields with a handful of their peers," said Tracy Reiman, executive vice president of the Virginia-based group, in a news release.

"The truth is that conditions commonly found on California's factory dairy farms have been scientifically proven to cause cows extreme physical pain and mental distress."

A spokeswoman for the board said she could not comment because she had not seen the complaint.

Read the complete story at mercedsunstar.com