Butterball responds to turkey abuse allegations amid recall rumors

Butterball faces backlash after video of alleged turkey abuse resurfaces, sparking boycott calls and recall rumors.

Just days before Thanksgiving, Butterball is facing significant backlash after a disturbing, decades-old video resurfaced online showing employees allegedly abusing turkeys at one of its plants. 

The footage, recorded in 2006 during an undercover investigation by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), shows workers at the company’s Ozark, Arkansas, facility engaging in violent and sexually abusive acts toward live turkeys. The video quickly went viral after being posted by PETA activists over the weekend, igniting calls for a boycott of the popular poultry brand.

The graphic footage includes workers allegedly bashing turkeys against steel cages, stomping on their heads, and committing sexually abusive acts. In the video, a PETA investigator claims to have witnessed one worker inserting his finger into a turkey’s vagina, while another employee appears to simulate a sexual act on a shackled bird. “One worker took a live bird and stomped on her head, crushing her skull until her head exploded,” the investigator recorded in his log at the time. “He then laughed and wiped the blood from his leg.”

This resurfacing of the video triggered an outpouring of anger across social media, with many expressing their disgust and calling for a boycott of Butterball products.

Boycott Butterball inc. & arrest these savage scumbags https://t.co/J3OnAhiGoh

— Iron-Strike (@IronStrike95619) November 25, 2024

In response to the growing controversy, a Butterball spokesperson issued a statement clarifying that the video in question does not reflect the company’s current practices. “This video is not current and in no way reflects our animal welfare policies,” the spokesperson stated. “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 spokesperson also emphasized that Butterball undergoes annual third-party audits to ensure compliance with more than 200 science-based standards for the care of turkeys. “Butterball was the first and remains the only turkey company that is American Humane certified,” they added. “We are proud to be one of every three turkeys on the table this Thanksgiving.”

Despite the company’s reassurances, it did not address the growing calls for a boycott or the rumors of a potential recall.

PETA, however, argues that the 2006 footage is part of a larger issue within the poultry industry. “PETA has conducted even more recent investigations that show that abuse is still rampant,” said Lisa Canavan, PETA’s senior vice president. She pointed to a 2021 investigation into Plainville Farms, where workers were filmed engaging in similar acts of cruelty. As a result of the investigation, multiple workers at the Pennsylvania facility faced felony charges.

While no charges were filed in connection with the 2006 investigation into Butterball, the company did face legal action in 2011 after a raid at a North Carolina plant, where workers were caught on video abusing turkeys. That investigation, conducted by the nonprofit Mercy for Animals, led to criminal charges against several employees involved in the abuse.