Butterball Accused Of Animal Cruelty (Again)

Just in time to potentially ruin Butterball's annual Thanksgiving haul (apparently Butterball LLC claims to sell 13.8 million turkeys each year, most of them around Thanksgiving), Mercy for Animals has released an exposé video showing a list of abuses at a Butterball turkey farm.

The undercover video, embedded below, allegedly shows Butterball workers stomping on birds, dragging them by their wings and necks, and throwing turkeys on the ground.

Last year, a Butterball turkey farm was raided right after the holidays, after Mercy for Animals released a similar video showing alleged animal abuse at the turkey farms. After the investigation last year, five Butterball employees were charged with felony and misdemeanor animal cruelty charges.

"The abuses shown in this video are identical to the abuses documented in last year's Butterball investigation, which led to criminal cruelty to animals charges and convictions. These behaviors are cruel, inhumane, and injurious to the birds. I am appalled at the disrespect these workers have toward the lives of other living creatures," Dr. Greg Burkett,a veterinarian who was present for the Butterball raid, said in a Mercy for Animals press release.

In the meantime, Butterball has launched an internal investigation, suspending the "associates in question," a Butterball representative said. "Butterball is aware of the video released today by Mercy for Animals, and we take any allegations of animal mistreatment very seriously," a statement from Butterball said. "As has been our long-standing policy, we have a zero tolerance policy for animal abuse." Let's hope these videos don't become a yearly holiday tradition. Watch the disturbing video below.