Nightline Wins Genesis Award for 'Got Milk?' From Humane Society

March 22, 2011 — -- A Nightline investigation of alleged animal abuse at New York 's largest dairy farm has won a Genesis Award from the Humane Society of the United States.

Producer Anna Schecter from the Brian Ross Investigative Unit accepted the honor for "Got Milk?" on Saturday in Los Angeles, where the Humane Society celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Genesis Awards, which recognize individuals and media organizations for raising awareness of animal–protection issues.

"Got Milk?" featured undercover video from Willet Dairy in East Genoa, New York, that showed cows being dragged, workers kicking and hitting animals, a worker digging his fingers into the eye socket of a cow, and tails and horns being removed without anesthesia. An undercover investigator for the advocacy group Mercy for Animals shot the video while working at the dairy for two months as a mechanic.

CLICK HERE to watch the Nightline report.

After the Nightline report aired, Willet suspended a worker who can seen on video striking a cow in the head with a wrench, and Denver-based Leprino Foods, which produces cheese products used by the national pizza chains Pizza Hut, Papa John's and Domino's, stopped using milk from the dairy.

The suspended dairy worker, Phil Niles, was ultimately arrested and charged with animal cruelty, to which he pled guilty. He was fined more than $500 and ordered not to be in contact with animals for one year.

The chief executive officer of the Willet Dairy, Lyndon Odell, said his operation produces high-quality milk and does not tolerate the abuse of animals. Odell said that Willet's practices are in accordance with industry standards.

"Our animals are critically important to our well being, so we work hard to treat them well, to treat them medically when they need to be treated, to ensure their lives are good while they're here," said Odell.

Shown the undercover videos, Odell said, "They picked out a few isolated incidents and they're trying to portray them as something that is malicious on our part, that we don't do a good job with our animals."

Rosenthal has reintroduced the bill this year and said she is "confident that we are steadily moving toward banning this shameful behavior."