Butterball addresses turkey sex abuse controversy as customers boycott brand on busiest week of the year

Butterball - the largest producer of turkey products in the United States - has spoken out amid furor over a shocking PETA video that is damaging its reputation just days before Thanksgiving.

The company noted that the footage posted PETA's Instagram page last week that showed workers sitting on turkeys, smacking, humping and sexually abusing the birds at the Ozark, Arkansas plant was from 2006.

That was years before Butterball was privatized and certified by American Humane.

'We are aware of a video from nearly 20 years ago, which is being reshared across social media,' a spokesperson for the company told Scripps News. 

'The video is not current and was taken prior to Butterball becoming a private company and prior to engagement certification through American Humane.'

'Animal care and well-being is central to who we are as a company and we are committed to the ethical and responsible care of our flocks,' the spokesperson insisted.

'Eleven years ago, Butterball was the first, and remains the only, turkey company to be American Humane certified,' they noted. 

'That means we have yearly audits conducted by a third-party to ensure compliance with our 200-plus science-based standards or best practice for care of turkeys, well exceeding industry best practices.

'We are proud of this designation that no other turkey company can claim, and have a zero tolerance policy for animal mistreatment.'

Butterball - the largest producer of turkey products in the US - has spoken out about a video showing workers allegedly sexually abusing the birds in 2006

Butterball - the largest producer of turkey products in the US - has spoken out about a video showing workers allegedly sexually abusing the birds in 2006

But in the disturbing footage, an undercover investigator claimed he saw a Butterball employee shoving his finger up a turkey's cloaca, or vagina, for 'fun' and witnessed another worker humping a turkey while it was restrained, according to the animal rights group.

He also recalled seeing a 'worker... taunting another worker by holding a bird by the legs and jerking her back and forth.'

Footage included in the video also showed employees manhandling multiple birds - striking, throwing and hanging them to death.

'Do you know what happened to your Butterball turkey before they were killed?' PETA wrote in the caption, without specifying that the content was filmed 18 years ago.

Still, many online were quick to call out the company for the abuse, labeling it a 'literal disgrace' and wishing 'shame' on the turkey manufacturer as they announced they were boycotting the company.

'Disgusting! I hope PETA ends [you],' one person commented on the video. 

'I'm done @butterballturkey. You're workers ABUSE innocent LIVING animals, they are disgusting demons!!!' another shared, while a third noted that he threw away the Butterball turkey he bought for Thanksgiving 'and will never be buying from you again.'

The disturbing footage posted to PETA's Instagram last week showed workers sitting on turkeys, smacking and humping the birds and sexually abusing them at the Ozark, Arkansas plant in 2006

The disturbing footage posted to PETA's Instagram last week showed workers sitting on turkeys, smacking and humping the birds and sexually abusing them at the Ozark, Arkansas plant in 2006

Many online were quick to call out the company for the abuse

Many online were quick to call out the company for the abuse

One Instagram user said he threw out his turkey after seeing the video and will not be buying from the company ever again

One Instagram user said he threw out his turkey after seeing the video and will not be buying from the company ever again

The video had been part of PETA's strategy to get Americans to skip out on the Thanksgiving Day staple this year.

'It's never too late to go out there and grab that vegan roast,' Amber Canavan, the Vegan Campaign Project Manager for PETA, told DailyMail.com. 'Spare that turkey from the horrors of the slaughterhouse.'

She then went on to claim that PETA's exposé from nearly two decades ago is not a one-off.

'PETA has conducted even more recent investigations that are still showing that abuse is rampant,' Canavan said, pointing to a separate PETA investigation from 2021 into Plainville Farms, which 'also documented workers simulating sex acts on turkeys.'

As a result of the investigation, workers at the Pennsylvania facility faced several felonies 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 North Carolina Butterball plant was raided after workers were caught abusing turkeys.

In an investigation similar to PETA's, nonprofit Mercy for Animals went undercover and witnessed several instances of animal cruelty.

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