Another undercover investigation by an animal rights group has revealed patterns of abuse directed toward turkeys at Butterball poultry plants in four counties. This comes less than a year after the group Mercy for Animals documented abuse at a Hoke County Butterball facility. Vandhana Bhalla with Mercy for Animals says an undercover investigator was wired with a camera, which captured the abuse.
Vandhana Bhalla: "He documented an ongoing pattern of really egregious animal cruelty, including workers kicking and stomping on birds, dragging turkeys by their fragile wings and by their necks, and maliciously throwing turkeys on the ground or on top of other birds. He documented turkeys suffering from serious injuries including open, festering sores, and broken bones."
In the earlier Hoke County case, five workers were charged with animal cruelty for mistreatment of turkeys. The case also resulted in charges against a doctor for the N.C. Department of Agriculture. A spokeswoman for Butterball says the company takes animal abuse very seriously and anyone engaging in it will be fired.