Butterball faces Thanksgiving boycott after PETA resurfaces allegations of disgusting turkey abuse

Butterball is facing resurgent abuse allegations, prompting some Americans to boycott the major turkey producer 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 called attention to its undercover investigation of Butterball’s manufacturing facility in Ozark, Arkansas, which took place between April and July 2006.

On November 5, the non-profit organization submitted an interview clip with an unidentified investigator who claimed to have witnessed appalling cases of sexual abuse of the live turkeys at the Butterball factory.

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 strapped down.

The clip then cut to footage of the Butterball facility, 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 hell out of the mother,” they said.

At the investigator witness journalhe claimed to have seen Butterball employees “cruelly slam live birds into chains” while another worker “choked a bird to death.”

“A 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, while another note read: “A worker violently threw birds into the chains and seized one. by her neck, and another worker humped a bird whose leg and head he had pressed into the chain.”

The resurfaced footage has since prompted many people on social media to declare that they will no longer be buying Butterball turkey for their Thanksgiving dinner.

“This absolutely breaks my heart,” one TikTok user commented under one reposted clip of the PETA survey.

“Just bought a Butterball turkey today and definitely won’t be returning it until tomorrow,” another person wrote.

Meanwhile, a woman posted a TikTok video of herself to return the Butterball turkey she had bought “after SA (sexual assault) allegations.”

Speaking to Daily MailAmber Canavan – the vegan campaign project manager for PETA – explained that the online response from people boycotting Butterball “is exactly what every 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 steak. Spare that turkey from the horrors of the slaughterhouse.”

However, Butterball has since rebutted PETA’s efforts to initiate a boycott against the manufacturer’s turkey, specifically pointing out that the undercover investigation took place nearly 20 years ago.

“We are aware of a video from almost 20 years ago that is being 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 are 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 explained that Butterball has annual audits conducted by a third party to ensure the facilities adhere to “200+ science-based best practice standards for turkey care.”

They added, “Butterball was the first and remains the only turkey company to be American Humane certified. We are proud to be one of every three turkeys on the table this Thanksgiving.”

US Department of Agriculture discretion that 46 million turkeys are eaten on Thanksgiving. That’s about 21 percent of the roughly 216.5 million turkeys produced in the United States each year.

According to 2024 Butterball Unity Report87 percent of Americans who celebrate Thanksgiving plan to serve turkey. That means about 293.5 million people will eat turkey on Thanksgiving in 2024.

Despite the turkey taking center stage on many Thanksgiving dinner tables, some Americans have declared that the bird is their least favorite Thanksgiving dish.

In one map out conducted by Vacationer, which asked 1,042 American adults what traditional Thanksgiving foods they like and dislike, nearly 35 percent of Americans ranked turkey as their least favorite.

Stuffing or dressing ranked the second least favorite with about 32 percent of respondents, followed by ham at nearly 32 percent.