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Butterball Turkey is facing boycott calls ahead of Thanksgiving after sickening sexual abuse allegations resurface


Butterball Turkey is facing boycott calls ahead of Thanksgiving after sickening sexual abuse allegations resurface

Butterball is facing calls for a boycott just days before Thanksgiving after sickening footage surfaced on social media of poultry workers allegedly sexually abusing and torturing their turkeys.

The uproar erupted after activists from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) posted a decades-old clip online over the weekend that allegedly showed company employees mistreating live turkeys at a plant in Ozark, Arkansas.

The footage, which soon went viral, was taken during an undercover investigation in 2006 in which workers were filmed slamming the birds against steel cages and stomping on their heads, the animal rights group claimed.

The backlash erupted after PETA activists posted a decades-old clip online over the weekend that allegedly showed the company’s employees mistreating live turkeys at a plant in Ozark, Arkansas. PETA

An undercover PETA investigator claimed in the clip that he caught a worker inserting his finger into a turkey’s vagina for “fun” – while another employee appeared to be “bumping” a tied-up bird.

“A worker took a live bird, stepped on her head and crushed her skull until her head exploded. Then he laughed and wiped the blood from his leg. He also threw birds on the concrete and hit others,” the investigator claimed in his witness reports at the time.

The video quickly sparked an outpouring of outrage when it resurfaced online – with some calling for a boycott of the poultry brand just days before the Thanksgiving holiday.

“Boycott Butterball,” one user raged on X.

“I just bought a Butterball turkey yesterday. Dinner is f***ing canceled,” wrote another.

The footage, which has gone viral on social media, was taken during an undercover investigation in 2006 in which workers were allegedly filmed hitting the birds against steel cages. PETA
The ten-year-old video was posted by PETA. PETA
Butterball is facing calls for a boycott. Christopher Sadowski
The video detailed the alleged sexual abuse and torture of animals. PETA

“You are disgusting!!! I will never eat any of your company’s products again…you should be ashamed of yourself. I can’t express my disdain for your company right now,” one user chimed in.

A Butterball spokesperson emphasized to The Post that the footage was filmed decades ago and is “not current.”

“We are aware of a video from nearly 20 years ago that is being reshared on social media,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

“This video is not current and was recorded before Butterball became a private company and before our involvement and certification with American Humane. The care and welfare of animals is central to us as a company and we are committed to caring for our herds ethically and responsibly.”

The company added that Butterball is the only turkey company in the U.S. that is “American Humane Certified.”

“This means we have annual third-party audits to ensure compliance with our more than 200 science-based best practice standards for turkey care, which go well beyond industry best practices,” the spokesperson said.

“We are proud of this distinction, which no other turkey company can claim, and have a zero-tolerance policy for animal abuse.”

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