In a shocking revelation, workers at a farm that supplies ‘humanely-raised’ turkey to retailers like Whole Foods were videotaped abusing the animals, with one man even mimicking masturbation with a bird who was dying, news outlets reported on Thursday, August 12.
Workers were shown stomping, kicking, and punching birds in a horrifying undercover film taken by a worker who was discreetly moonlighting for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). It was shot at New Oxford, Pennsylvania, at Plainville Farms, which also supplies Publix and Harris Teeter. After being severely injured by the employees, the birds were recorded convulsing in anguish and allowed to die on the concrete floor of a sharply lighted barn.
Plainville Farms response:
To Our Valued Customers:
You may have seen the horrific video of animal abuse that is being circulated in the news and online. What is shown is horrific, despicable and goes against everything this company stands for.
It’s important for incidents like this to come to light, and we have already launched an internal investigation, from the top down. If any of our employees were involved, they will be held accountable.
Plainville Farms was founded more than 100 years ago with a commitment to the highest standards in animal welfare. Today is no different. This company is passionate about its values and is unwilling to compromise on them. Make no mistake, Plainville Farms’ number one priority is animal welfare. Although we have stringent protocols in place to prevent these types of incidents from occurring, if these are our employees, clearly we failed somewhere along the way.
We remain committed to setting the gold standard for the health and well-being of our turkeys, and will do whatever it takes to achieve that goal and make sure something like this never happens again.
You have our word.
-Plainville Farms
