Butterball faces Thanksgiving turkey boycott as nasty sex abuse allegations resurface

Gut-wrenching footage of Butterball slaughterhouse workers torturing and sexually abusing turkeys has sparked outrage just before Thanksgiving as news of the horrific acts resurfaced on social media.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) launched an undercover investigation into Butterball’s Ozark, Arkansas location between April and July 0f 2006.

An unnamed investigator revealed the alleged atrocities he witnessed – including sexual assault on the birds – as workers ‘chained and slaughtered’ more than 50,000 turkeys each day, according to PETA.

In the shockingly graphic video, the investigator claimed he saw a Butterball employee shove his finger up a turkey’s cloaca or vagina for ‘fun’.

Another worker allegedly ‘humped’ a turkey while it was strapped down.

The investigator recalled another gruesome case where a ‘worker taunted another worker by holding a bird by the legs and jerking her back and forth.

‘The other guy just grabbed the bird and hit her.’

Footage showed workers aggressively handling several turkeys – throwing, hitting and hanging them to death.

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

As written in the investigator’s witness journal: ‘A worker took a live bird and stomped on her head, crushing her skull until her head exploded. Then he laughed and wiped the blood from his leg. He also threw birds at the concrete and hit others.’

During his 40-day tenure at the gruesome facility, the witness workers would slam birds into metal bars and violently break their backs and legs.

The investigator reflected on the birds’ eyeballs popping out, exposing spines and ripping off limbs in the chilling video.

“The staff at this facility were clearly not trained in animal welfare – some workers even bragged about their abuse,” he claimed.

Just days before Thanksgiving, the unflattering footage has social media users cringing with disgust – with some calling for a boycott.

“This breaks my heart,” one person commented on a clip of the video posted on TikTok.

Another user said: “Just bought a Butterball turkey today and will definitely be returning it tomorrow first thing in the morning.”

One commenter wondered: ‘Why are people so horrible? I own turkeys and chickens and they are so sweet and loving.’

In another TikTok post, the user declared ‘You better not eat any Butterball turkey this year’ and called the company ‘disturbed’.

‘It made me physically ill,’ one viewer responded to the gruesome video.

Another added: ‘My parents bought butterball turkeys for Thanksgiving. I won’t be able to eat it.’

Another video showed a woman ‘on her way to return this Butterball Turkey after SA (sexual assault) allegations.’

Someone responded: ‘I swear I’m going to buy one to bury it and cry. It is so sad what those birds have been through’.

“The response we’re seeing from people online is exactly what every animal advocate wants to see right before Thanksgiving,” Canavan added. ‘We’re just seeing dozens and dozens of people swearing off turkey this year.’

She emphasized the idea that it is ‘easier than ever’ to buy vegan alternatives that do not require ‘animals to go through the torture of the slaughterhouse.’

Leading up to the holidays, PETA has been sharing content on social media encouraging viewers to jump on the poultry bandwagon this year.

“It’s never too late to go out there and grab that vegan steak,” Canavan said. “Spare that turkey from the horrors of the slaughterhouse.”

In response to the online backlash the company is receiving, a Butterball representative wrote to DailyMail.com:

‘We are aware of a video from almost 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.

‘Animal care and welfare is central to who we are as a company, and we are committed to the ethical and responsible care of our herds. This means that maintaining the health and well-being of our turkeys is an ongoing effort.’

The spokesperson added that Butterball has annual third-party audits to ensure facilities adhere to ‘200+ science-based best practice standards for turkey care.’

She added: ‘Butterball was the first and remains the only turkey business to be American Humane certified. We are proud to be 1 in 3 turkeys on the table this Thanksgiving.’

This month alone, Butterball has sold about 15 million turkeys nationwide, Fleet owner reported.

PETA claims its exposure from nearly two decades ago is not a one-off.

“PETA has conducted even more recent studies that still show that abuse is widespread,” Canavan said.

She pointed to another PETA study from 2021 to Plainville Farms, which ‘also documented workers simulating sexual acts on turkeys’.

As a result of the investigation, workers at the Pennsylvania facility faced numerous felony charges and 141 charges.

No charges against Butterball came from the 2006 investigation, but charges were brought against employees years later for a separate situation.

In 2011, a Butterball factory in North Carolina was raided after workers were caught abusing turkeys.

In an investigation similar to PETA’s, the nonprofit organization Mercy for Animals went undercover and witnessed several cases of animal cruelty.

Several workers were hit with charges related to the reported abuse. They were caught on video kicking and stomping on the helpless birds.