Undercover probe exposes cruelty to turkeys
Though practices are legal, animal rights group is calling for more humane methods
Most Canadians have never seen the inside of a slaughterhouse, nor would they want to. They prefer to not imagine their dinner once peacefully grazing in a farm meadow. What they want to see is the end product neatly packaged in a grocery store cooler.
However, CTV W5 has obtained exclusive undercover footage taken by Mercy for Animals of a turkey slaughter plant in Abbotsford, B.C., and the images are difficult to watch. They reveal turkeys removed from crates, hung by their legs, shocked, killed and their carcasses scalded.
Mercy for Animals, an international organization dedicated to preventing cruelty to farm animals, sent in an undercover “whistleblower” who worked at the Sofina Foods plant for three weeks. With a concealed camera, he captured the entire slaughter process.
“Our whistleblower simply applied for jobs and he literally took the first job that hired him,” Krista Hiddema, Canadian vice-president of Mercy for Animals, told W5.
He was hired for what is called the ‘live-hang position,’ which is taking the turkeys that arrive in transport trailers, pulling them out and putting them on shackles while they are still alive.
“Most of my time there I saw many birds are rough-handled,” the whistleblower said in an interview. “The overall processing line speed is quite quick, which results in employees roughly pulling birds out of transport crates.”
However, unlike numerous undercover operations done by Mercy For Animals in the past, there was little in the slaughter process at the Sofina Food plant that depicted wanton cruelty by the workers at the plant.
“This was some of the most horrific footage I have ever seen and what is really critical to understand is the footage is indicative of standard in- dustry practice,” Hiddema said.
The most disturbing scenes are where the turkeys are killed by an automated blade which slits their throats. If they miss the blade a worker called the “backup killer” kills them manually. A fellow worker explains that if the turkey’s throat is not slit properly the bird will go into the scalding water alive.
“This is not a matter of (the turkey slaughter plant) failing to follow in- dustry standards. This is a matter of the industry engaged in the worst forms of animal abuse. Not only is it industry standard, it is legal in this country to take these birds, hang them upside down, slit their throats, dunk them in tanks of scalding vats of water, and all of that while they are still alive and conscious.”
While Hiddema would rather leave turkeys off the plate, she does recognize that the majority of Canadians consume poultry and so they should know how those birds are killed.
However, she also noted that “there are less cruel methods of slaughter” and wondered why industry was not using them.
After weeks of emails, letters and phone calls, the company agreed to meet with W5 at its head office in Markham so they could view the hidden camera footage.
While W5 showed them the video, Sofina opted not to sit down for an on-camera interview. Instead, the company issued a statement.
“The practices depicted in the video comply with current industry and government regulatory requirement . . . the processed are in line with accepted industry standards.
“To those in the industry, the images may be challenging to witness. However, the processes established have been reviewed and continue to be reviewed by industry, regulatory and other experts to ensure the most humane and proper treatment of animals is always followed.”
W5 travelled to Fort Collins, Colo., to speak to Temple Grandin, a highly respected scientist with Colorado State University who specializes in farm animal welfare.
Grandin reviewed the undercover footage and concluded: “What I’ve seen is pretty much normal industry practice.”
But she pointed out that there is a better, less cruel way to slaughter turkeys by gassing them first in what is called “controlled atmosphere stunning.”
“Now the advantage that we get with controlled atmosphere stunning or gas stunning is you eliminate live hanging,” she said, noting that this process is far less stressful on the turkeys and “the employees only handle dead birds after they come out of the stunner.”
Grandin added that the turkey industry in the U.S. “is moving toward controlled atmosphere stunning.”
In its written statement, Sofina announced that is has ordered its first controlled atmosphere stunning system for delivery sometime next year.
Hiddema said that “Canadians are compassionate people and when those Canadians who do eat animals, at bare minimum, Canadians do not want animals tortured en route from farm to plate. “We are the only meaningful watchdog in this country as it relates to what truly happens behind the closed doors of these facilities,” she said. She added that Mercy for Animals believes their hidden camera footage will mobilize consumers to demand change.
Grandin agrees. “Consumer pressure can make things change but we’ve got to make sure we make changes that will work.” W5’s documentary — Fowl Business — airs on CTV tonight at 7 p.m.
“This was some of the most horrific footage I have ever seen and what is really critical to understand is the footage is indicative of standard industry practice.” KRISTA HIDDEMA CANADIAN VICE-PRESIDENT OF MERCY FOR ANIMALS