"Turkeys are suffering from abuse and mistreatment at the hands of major poultry company Butterball. After an investigation in 2011 where Butterball employees were charged with felony and misdemeanor crimes, Butterball is at it again. An undercover video obtained by Mercy for Animals, a national animal protection charity, shows Butterball employees gratuitously abusing their turkeys. The turkeys can be seen being thrown into machines while still alive only to be horribly mangled. Sensitive body parts (beaks and toes) are cut off without painkillers, and young turkeys are routinely tossed and dropped with little thought.
Coincidentally, legislation is surfacing that would make it more difficult for groups like Mercy for Animals to document cases like this one. North Carolina voters are supporting Senate Bill 648, which would make video evidence obtained through undercover investigations (like the footage used in this case) inadmissible in court. Instead of hiding behind legislation, something should be done within Butterball to guarantee that animal rights standards are enforced. Therefore, we need to tell Butterball that we demand that they stop their cruel treatment of animals.
Urge Butterball CEO Kerry Doughty to ensure that this type of cruelty does not happen at Butterball again."
