Video of Butterball Turkeys Disrupting Company Goes Viral on Social Media, Peta Immediately Investigates
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Mobinity.com - Thursday, millions of families will sit down to a dinner that generally centers on turkey. And in most of those homes, Butterball will be the turkey they eat.
However, with only a few days left before Thanksgiving, the poultry producer is in the midst of a PR crisis that dates back nearly two decades, when the company was still under its previous owners.
On Friday, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) uploaded a video of a Butterball turkey shot in 2006, which has since gone viral on social media and sparked many protests.
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The footage showed company employees torturing live turkeys at a factory in Ozark, Arkansas. Butterball, in a statement, acknowledged the existence of the video, saying it does not reflect current conditions at its facilities.
"This video is not current and was taken before Butterball became a private company and before our involvement and certification through American Humane," a Butterball spokesperson said.
"Animal care and welfare is at the core of who we are as a company, and we are committed to treating our flock ethically and responsibly."
In 2013, Butterball became the first (and still the only) turkey company to earn American Humane certification, the company said. The company undergoes a third-party audit each year to verify that it follows best practices in turkey care.
"We are proud of this designation that no other turkey company can claim and have a zero tolerance policy towards animal abuse," the company said.
A company spokesperson could not recall how the company responded to the allegations when the Butterball turkey video first surfaced in 2006, as Butterball was then owned by ConAgra, and the company did not have access to any statements issued then.
In terms of timing, the re-release of this video couldn't be worse for Butterball (or better for PETA).
