Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Food
Disturbing Video Shows Abuse At Butterball's Turkey Farm
By
Jen Carlson
Published Nov 14, 2012
Modified Nov 14, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Carlson
Published Nov 14, 2012
Modified Nov 14, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Thanksgiving is just a week away, and there's no better way to prepare for the big feast than with some footage of your main course... with bleeding, open and infected sores. Mercy For Animals has released this below video from their second investigation into Butterball, the largest producer of turkey meat in the world. The undercover investigation has yielded video documentation of workers kicking and stomping on birds, some of which have become injured and are left to suffer and die with open (sometimes maggot-filled) wounds. Aside from the abuse from workers, their factory farm turkeys are also "selectively bred to grow so large, so quickly, that many of them suffer from painful bone defects, hip joint lesions, crippling foot and leg deformities, and fatal heart attacks."
Last year's MFA investigation into Butterball resulted in criminal animal cruelty convictions for Butterball employees, who were shown "kicking and stomping on birds, dragging them by their fragile wings and necks, and maliciously throwing turkeys onto the ground or on top of other birds. It also shows turkeys suffering from serious untreated illnesses and injuries left to slowly suffer and die." Sadly, it doesn't seem like the bad exposure and convictions did anything to make Butterball change its ways.
If you lost your appetite... there are plenty of ways to have a cruelty-free Thanksgiving.
Tagged
abuse
animal cruelty
butterball
thanksgiving
turkey
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE food
Where are the cheapest drinks in NYC? A new report details the city's average prices.
The median price of a cocktail in the city is now $16, and $9 for a draft beer.
By
Hannah Frishberg
Published Oct 19, 2026
North African restaurants are rare in NYC. These 10 are the best.
Egyptian, Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian food is delicious but underrepresented in the city.
By
Robert Sietsema
Food
North African restaurants are rare in NYC. These 10 are the best.
Egyptian, Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian food is delicious but underrepresented in the city.
By
Robert Sietsema
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
By
Robert Sietsema
Frozen yogurt is back in New York City. So are the super long lines.
By
Sonia Rao
5 NYC banana puddings as good as Magnolia's
By
Hannah Frishberg
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .