Why was Butterball accused of turkey abuse and is it safe to eat the brand’s poultry?

For most people, Thanksgiving means food, family, and movies, but for organizations like PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), the holiday has a different meaning. 

Whether you eat meat or you’re a devout vegan, everyone can agree that animal cruelty is deplorable. That’s why the allegations that PETA is making against Butterball, one of America’s biggest turkey brands, have people questioning their Thanksgiving dinner plans for this year.

PETA’s allegations against Butterball 

PETA made some startling allegations against Butterball recently, and with Thanksgiving here, they could prove disastrous for the company, not just for this year, but for subsequent holidays. The animal rights organization carried out an undercover investigation into one of Butterball’s facilities, and the investigation revealed all kinds of abuse being carried out by Butterball employees on the turkeys.

PETA posted a video to Instagram and captioned it, “Do you know what happened to your Butterball turkey before they were killed?” The video went on to show footage of an anonymous investigator exposing the despicable acts that Butterball employees allegedly carried out in the “Butterball House of Horrors.” The investigator spent time at Butterball’s Ozark, Arkansas slaughterhouse, and what he found out has made many a little too disgusted to touch their dinner. 

However, what PETA failed to mention is that this investigation was from 2006. The investigation included both his narration of the abuse and footage of employees carrying out and talking about the abuse. His investigation claims that these employees sexually abused the turkeys which include, “One guy humped a shackled turkey one day, and another time, another worker was putting his fingers in another turkey’s cloaca which is basically her vagina while the line was stopped.” The investigation included disturbing footage of people carrying out sexual acts on the animals.

He also explained the physical abuse the animals undergo which was detailed in the investigator’s daily log on PETA’s website. It reads, “Workers were cruelly slamming live birds in shackles and one strangled a bird to death.” Another entry reads, “One worker took a live bird and stomped on her head, crushing her skull until her head exploded.” Each entry on the log included account after account of the cruelty enacted on the animals.

The resurgence of this footage has led to people boycotting the turkey manufacturer and asking what they can do in light of this new information.

So, is Butterball turkey safe to eat?

Butterball has issued an official response to the accusations from PETA, but not everyone is buying it. In a statement emailed to Scripps News and other outlets, Butterball’s spokesperson claimed the footage was, “taken prior to Butterball becoming a private company and prior to our engagement and certification through American Humane.”

Their email response also claimed, “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.” They also added, “We have yearly audits conducted by a third party to ensure compliance with our 200+ science-based standards of best practice of care for turkeys, well-exceeding industry best practices.”

Overall, Butterball has confirmed that the rumors that their turkeys are being recalled are false and maintains that their turkeys are safe to eat. Meanwhile, PETA’s president, Ingrid Newkirk, claimed that the American Humane certification is a “sham.” So while you probably won’t get physically sick eating a Butterball turkey, your conscience might feel very queasy.