PETA’s decision to share a 2006 video showing turkey abuse at a Butterball farm stirred strong reactions online just before Thanksgiving 2024. The footage, depicting harsh mistreatment of turkeys, included claims that employees engaged in physical and sexual abuse and boasted about their actions. PETA’s post aimed to inform consumers about the suffering endured by turkeys before they are sold as food. This moved many social media users to vow never to eat turkey again, with some expressing shock and disgust.
However, some critics pointed out that the footage was nearly 20 years old and claimed that it had already been investigated at the time, with responsible parties facing consequences. They accused PETA of misleading the public by presenting outdated material, prompting questions about whether improvements had been made since then. In response, Butterball clarified that the video was from before the company became private, indicating that such practices were not current.
