By New York Post (U.S.) | Created at 2024-11-26 16:09:55 | Updated at 2024-11-28 05:50:18
1 day ago
Butterball is facing calls for a boycott just days before Thanksgiving after sickening footage of poultry workers allegedly sexually abusing and torturing its turkeys resurfaced on social media.
The uproar unfolded after People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) activists posted a decades-old clip online over the weekend that allegedly showed the company’s employees abusing live turkeys at a plant in Ozark, Arkansas.
The graphic footage, which soon went viral, was captured during an undercover probe in 2006 where workers were filmed bashing the birds against steel cages and stomping on their heads, the animal rights group claimed.
A PETA undercover investigator alleged in the clip that he caught one worker inserting his finger into a turkey’s vagina for “fun” — while another employee apparently “humped” a bird while it was shackled.
“One worker took a live bird and stomped on her head, crushing her skull until her head exploded. He then laughed and wiped the blood from his leg. He also threw birds against the concrete and punched others,” the investigator claimed in his witness logs at the time.
The video quickly triggered an outpouring of outrage when it resurfaced online — with some calling for a boycott of the poultry brand just days out from the Thanksgiving holiday.
“Boycott Butterball,” one user raged on X.
“I just bought a butterball turkey yesterday. Dinner is f—king canceled,” another wrote.
“YOU ARE DISGUSTING!!! I will never eat another product from your company… You should be ashamed of yourselves. I can’t express my disdain for your company right now,” one user chimed in.
A Butterball spokesperson stressed to The Post that the footage was filmed decades ago and “not current.”
“We are aware of a video from nearly 20 years ago, which is being re-shared across social media,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
“This video is not current and was taken prior to Butterball becoming a private company and prior to our engagement and certification through American Humane. Animal care and well-being is central to who we are as a company, and we are committed to the ethical and responsible care of our flocks.”
The company added that Butterball was the only turkey company in the US that is “American Humane certified.”
“That means we have yearly audits conducted by a third party to ensure compliance with our 200+ science-based standards of best practice for care of turkeys, well-exceeding industry best practices,” the spokesperson said.
“We are proud of this designation that no other turkey company can claim and have a zero-tolerance policy for animal mistreatment.”
