Butterball is facing resurfaced allegations of abuse, prompting some Americans to boycott the major turkey manufacturer just days before Thanksgiving.
As millions of people across the United States prepare their turkey-filled Thanksgiving menus, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has drawn attention to its undercover investigation of Butterball’s manufacturing plant in Ozark, Arkansas, which took place between April and July 2006.
On November 5, the non-profit organization posted an interview clip with an unidentified investigator, who claimed he witnessed harrowing instances of sexual assault against the live turkeys at the Butterball plant.
In the graphic video, the undercover worker accused a Butterball employee of shoving his finger up a turkey’s cloaca, or vagina. Another worker allegedly “humped” a turkey while it was restrained.
The clip then cut to footage of the Butterball plant, which PETA reported “slaughters approximately 50,000 birds each day.”
Undercover footage also showed a worker sitting on a turkey, while another clip showed an employee kicking the bird. “I kicked the f*** out of the motherf***er,” they said.
In the investigator’s witness log, he claimed to have seen Butterball employees “cruelly slamming live birds in shackles,” while another worker “strangled a bird to death.”
“One worker said he likes to kill birds for ‘fun,’ and pointed out one he had punched in the face,” he wrote in the witness log, as another note read: “A worker violently threw birds into the shackles and grabbed one by her neck, and another worker humped a bird whose legs and head he had crammed into the shackle.”
The resurfaced footage has since prompted many people on social media to declare they’ll no longer be purchasing Butterball turkey for their Thanksgiving dinner.
“This absolutely BREAKS MY HEART,” one TikTok user commented under a reposted clip of the PETA investigation.
“Just bought a Butterball turkey today and definitely returning it tomorrow first thing in the morning,” another person wrote.
Meanwhile, a woman posted a TikTok video of herself returning the Butterball turkey she had purchased “after SA (sexual assault) allegations.”
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Amber Canavan — the vegan campaign project manager for PETA — explained that the online response from people boycotting Butterball “is exactly what any animal advocate wants to see right before Thanksgiving.”
“We’re just seeing dozens and dozens of people swearing off turkey this year,” she said. “It’s never too late to go out there and grab that vegan roast. Spare that turkey from the horrors of the slaughterhouse.”
However, Butterball has since refuted PETA’s efforts to initiate a boycott against the manufacturer’s turkey, specifically by pointing out that the undercover investigation took place nearly 20 years ago.
“We are aware of a video from nearly 20 years ago, which is being re-shared across social media. This video is not current and in no way reflects our animal welfare policies,” a Butterball spokesperson said in a statement to The Independent.
“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. That means maintaining the health and well-being of our turkeys is an ongoing effort.”
The spokesperson explained that Butterball has yearly audits conducted by a third party to make sure facilities are complying with the “200+ science-based standards of best practice for care of turkeys.”
They added: “Butterball was the first and remains the only turkey company that is American Humane certified. We are proud to be one of every three turkeys on the table this Thanksgiving.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that 46 million turkeys are eaten on Thanksgiving. That’s about 21 percent of the around 216.5 million turkeys produced in the U.S. each year.
According to the 2024 Butterball Togetherness Report, 87 percent of Americans hosting Thanksgiving plan to serve turkey. This means roughly 293.5 million people will eat turkey on Thanksgiving in 2024.
Despite turkey taking center stage on many Thanksgiving dinner tables, some Americans have declared the bird to be their least favorite Thanksgiving dish.
In a survey conducted by the Vacationer, which asked 1,042 American adults which traditional Thanksgiving foods they like and dislike, nearly 35 percent of Americans considered turkey to be their least favorite.
Stuffing or dressing ranked the second-least favorite with about 32 percent of participants polled, followed by ham at nearly 32 percent.
