Six Butterball Workers Arrested After December Raid

Six employees from the Butterball turkey farm in Shannon, North Carolina have been arrested in connection with a raid that took place on December 29, 2011. Megan Drake from Care2 reported on Mercy for Animals’ (MFA) three-week undercover investigation of the farm and the raid that resulted from video evidence of animal cruelty and neglect.

Nathan Runkle, executive director of MFA, stated: “Butterball allowed a culture of cruelty and abuse to fester at its company-owned factory farms. Before ending up in restaurants and grocery stores, turkeys killed for Butterball are routinely crowded into filthy warehouses, neglected to die from infected, bloody wounds, and beaten by factory farms workers” (ABC)

In addition to the six Butterball employees arrested, Dr. Sarah Mason, a veterinarian at the North Caroline Department of Agriculture, pleaded guilty to obstructing justice and obstructing a police officer. Mason warned a friend who worked as a veterinarian at Butterball about the existence of incriminating video evidence and the impending raid. Mason has been suspended for her job and was sentenced to 45 days in jail.

Mason released a statement apologizing for her actions and said that she contacted the Butterball veterinarian only to ensure that any acts of animal cruelty ceased immediately.

As a result of the scandal, Butterball is reevaluating its animal welfare policies and has fired “several associates for failure to follow Butterball animal care and well-being policies” (ABC).

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Photo from Ginger Me via flickr

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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

federico b.

3:37AM PDT on Apr 27, 2012

Che orrenda crudeltà. E anche il veterinario omertoso. Un vero SCHIFO

send a green star

Kathy P.

3:33AM PDT on Mar 21, 2012

When will it end? This vet is the worst. She took an oath to protect and save animals. Take all people involved to prison and let them never see the light of day again.

Hello G.

4:40AM PDT on Mar 19, 2012

God Bless Vegens :))

Debbie C.

4:34AM PDT on Mar 19, 2012

I will NOT be buying a Butterball turkey in the future!!
There was absolutely no reason for those employees to do what they did to those turkeys!!

Eternal G.

6:09PM PST on Mar 6, 2012

Good, I hope they'll make a nice X-mas lunch for some cannibals...

Sarah M.

1:50PM PST on Feb 26, 2012

So glad I'm vegan now.

Gina H.

8:21AM PST on Feb 25, 2012

Nothing will change even after factory farmers get caught. They go through the media and have CEOs do the "we're sorry" speech, pay the fine and move on for more profits while continuing the same behavior. Factory farming needs to be eradicated. Buy local, humanely raised and organic so you KNOW what was fed and how they were treated. I only wish that everyone could afford to buy local and organic. Butterball is no better than Purdue or Jack DeCoster Inc. They threaten to take away jobs from us but hey... most of these companies hire questionably documented labor from other countries anyway to work in deplorable conditions! They don't treat their workers any better than the birds.

Carrie Anne B.

4:03AM PST on Feb 22, 2012

thanks for sharing

Lika S.

12:59AM PST on Feb 22, 2012

I don't buy butterball anyway. So maybe now I'll make sure to tell friends and family. I'll go to the local farmers anyway.

Adrianne P.

9:28AM PST on Feb 21, 2012

This is sickening.