Butterball Turkeys Recalled Amid Sex Abuse Allegations This Thanksgiving? What we know

Butterball turkeys have not been recalled

An anonymous social media user who is a Peta investigator claimed that Buterball employees sexually abuse turkeys. The claim from a 2006 study has sparked outrage against the poultry brand days before Thanksgiving. In the video, the person says they were undercover when they saw workers sexually assaulting the birds before slaughtering them.

The investigator then reveals details, alleging that employees humped turkeys with chains and inserted fingers into the birds’ anus, which they described as their ‘vaginas’. A video also surfaced on social media showing one worker roughly handling a turkey while another appears to kick the bird. “I kicked the hell out of the mother.”

Another clip shows a worker sitting on a turkey.

PETA launched an undercover investigation into Butter ball‘s Ozark, Arkansas location between April and July 0f 2006. It was revealed that workers sexually assaulted the birds.

“Nothing humane had ever happened in a slaughterhouse,” Vegan Campaign Project Manager for PETA, Amber Canavan, told the Daily Mail.

The investigator’s testimony read: “A worker took a live bird and stomped on her head, crushing her skull until her head exploded. He laughed and wiped the blood from his leg. He also threw birds on the concrete and hit others.”

The Peta worker added that the birds’ eyeballs “popped out” and spines were “exposed” and limbs were “ripped off”. “The staff at this facility were clearly not trained in animal welfare – some workers even bragged about their abuse,” they added.

Is Butterball Turkeys recalled?

The FDA has not yet issued a recall.

Butterball’s response:

Butterball acknowledged the footage and said it “does not reflect our current animal welfare policies,” according to a spokesperson.