Butterball faces calls for a boycott just days before Thanksgiving after disturbing footage allegedly showing poultry workers sexually abusing and torturing turkeys resurfaced on social media. There is.
The uproar comes after PETA activists released a video over the weekend of decades-old clips of company employees allegedly abusing live turkeys at a factory in Ozark, Arkansas. It went viral after it was posted online.
The graphic footage, which quickly spread online, was filmed during an undercover operation in 2006 and showed workers slamming birds into metal cages and stomping on their heads. the welfare group argued.
An undercover PETA agent was seen on video inserting a finger into a turkey's vagina for “fun,” while another “humped” the shackled bird. That's what he claimed in the video.
“One worker picked up a live bird, stomped on its head, and crushed its skull until it exploded. He then laughed and wiped the blood from his feet. He also threw the bird on concrete and other He also punched people,'' investigators said in witness records from the time.
When the video resurfaced online, it quickly sparked an outpouring of anger, with some calling for a boycott of the chicken brand just days after the Thanksgiving holiday.
“Boycott Butterball,” one user raged against X.
“I just bought a Butterball turkey yesterday. Dinner is really cancelled,” another wrote.
“You're disgusting! I won't eat your products anymore…you should be ashamed. I can't express my disdain for your company right now,” one user retorted.
A Butterball spokesperson told the Post that the footage was shot decades ago and is “not current.”
“We are aware that videos from nearly 20 years ago are being re-shared on social media,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
“This video is not current and was filmed before Butterball became a private company and prior to our partnership and certification with American Humane. Animal care and welfare is part of our corporate culture. We are committed to the ethical and responsible care of our flock.”
The company added that Butterball is the only turkey company in the U.S. that is “American Humane Certified.”
“This means that annual third-party audits are conducted to ensure compliance with more than 200 science-based best practices standards for turkey farming, which far exceed industry best practices. means,” the spokesperson said.
“We are proud of this designation, which no other turkey company can claim, and have a zero-tolerance policy against animal cruelty.”
