Butterball, the biggest supplier of turkeys in the US, is in the middle of a huge controversy after a People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) investigator raised concerns over alleged animal abuse inside a Butterball turkey plant.
The investigator, who chooses to remain anonymous, described their undercover experience at the facility in a video released on Instagram.
PETA Accuses Butterball of Turkey Abuse
The investigator stated that they witnessed workers sexually abusing turkeys before they were culled.
Do you know what happened to your Butterball turkey before they were killed? pic.twitter.com/WJAlr2vBJl
— PETA (@peta) November 5, 2024
Among the things the investigator saw at the facility were:
- Workers allegedly humping chained turkeys
- Inserting fingers into the birds’ cloacas, which the investigator referred to as vaginas
- Roughly handling the turkeys
- Kicking the birds
- A worker is noticed sitting on a turkey
While the latest charges are very disturbing, it is not the first time Butterball has been accused of such practices. Earlier in 2017, PETA also accused workers at a Butterball slaughterhouse in Ozark, Arkansas, of behaving cruelly toward the birds before they were culled. PETA investigators also accused workers of inserting fingers into the birds’ cloacas.
The latest video, which chronicles the harsh realities prevailing in Butterball slaughterhouses, has angered the American people, leading to an overwhelming feeling of disgust. Many consumers are returning turkeys from Butterball outlets.
With Thanksgiving approaching, the demand for turkeys is going to surge, but the PETA investigator stated at the end of the video:
“If even one person sees this video and stops eating birds, it’ll be worth it. These dark plants are kept away from main roads and certainly not shown on TV. I went to this Butterball House of Horrors to show people what the company never will.”
Butterball LLC is the company that operates Butter-ball and is well-known for producing turkeys and poultry products. The main focus of the company is turkey, but it also sells a host of other products such as entrées, cured deli meats, soups, raw roasts, sandwiches, and salads. The annual production of turkeys by the company is over a billion pounds.
PETA, which stands for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, is a nonprofit organization committed to increasing awareness among the general public about animal cruelty in the food industry. It promotes companies to adopt more ethical practices and also exposes the dark underbelly of the factory farming industry.
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