Alarming Pattern of Turkeys Dying in Droves En Route to and at Local Slaughterhouse Leads PETA to Seek Criminal Probe

For Immediate Release:
November 18, 2024

Contact:
Nicole Perreira 202-483-7382

Damning U.S. Department of Agriculture reports just obtained by PETA reveal that more than 1,000 turkeys died this summer after being trucked through severe heat to Turkey Valley Farms in Marshall—adding to a disturbing, years-long history of birds suffering and dying while being hauled to and caged overnight at the slaughterhouse. In response, PETA sent a letter today to Marshall City Attorney Pam Whitmore urging her to investigate and file criminal charges against those responsible.

According to the reports, on June 25, a federal inspector witnessed multiple turkeys “panting heavily, drooling, and vocalizing” after being transported through extreme heat the day before. Slaughterhouse records revealed that 1,061  of these turkeys were later discovered dead on trailers. Similarly, on October 2, 2023, a federal inspector found that nine turkeys had died on one truck, and in January 2023, at least 1,181 turkeys died over three days while being hauled up to 600 miles in temperatures as low as minus 6 degrees. Many of the birds who died in the cold had “little to no feathers,” according to the reports, and survivors were wounded, bleeding, and shivering. Nearly 200 more turkeys apparently suffered from hypothermia before being slaughtered.

“Turkeys are devoted parents who purr to their chicks and protect their flocks, yet thousands of them died in agony after being exposed to extreme heat and cold, and the traumatized survivors faced the slaughterhouse knife,” says PETA Vice President of Legal Advocacy Daniel Paden. “PETA is calling for a criminal investigation on behalf of these birds and urges everyone to please go vegan to help spare animals a horrific trip to the slaughterhouse.”

Other horrors recently documented at Turkey Valley Farms include seven trailers with cages so severely crowded that the turkeys inside them were forced to stand on top of each other, apparently causing some to suffocate, and a worker who “slammed” a hen against shackles multiple times.

PETA is pursuing charges under state law because federal officials haven’t prosecuted any inspected slaughterhouses for acts of abuse since at least 2007.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness and free vegan starter kits for anyone thinking of making the switch. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.

PETA’s letter to Whitmore follows:

November 18, 2024

The Honorable Pam Whitmore

Marshall City Attorney

Dear Ms. Whitmore:

I’m writing to request that your office (and a law-enforcement agency, as necessary) investigate and file applicable criminal charges against the individuals responsible for the egregious suffering of numerous turkeys, including at least 2,251 who died in extreme weather while being hauled to and caged overnight at Turkey Valley Farms, located at 112 S. Sixth St. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) documented the incidents in reports that the agency recently made available to the public. (See the attached table.)

In the latest of a yearslong string of horrors documented at the operation, on June 25, an FSIS inspector found numerous turkeys “panting heavily, drooling, and vocalizing,” after having been trucked through severe heat a day earlier. The inspector uncovered Turkey Valley Farms records showing that 1,061 turkeys had died on trucks in just two of the groups of birds received by the slaughterhouse on June 24. Similarly, on October 2, 2023, FSIS staff found that nine turkeys had died on one truck.

Over three days in January 2023, at least 1,181 turkeys died while being hauled in temperatures as low as minus 6 degrees up to 600 miles—from factory farms as far away as Missouri—through sleet and snow. Many of these birds were unwanted hens “with little to no feathers,” and survivors were wounded, bleeding, and “shivering.” Up to 193 more turkeys apparently suffered from hypothermia before they were slaughtered.

In September and October 2022, severely crowded, caged turkeys were found standing on top of each other on at least seven trailers, which evidently caused some of them to suffocate. In February 2022, a worker “slammed” a hen against shackles, which “made a loud crashing sound.” The worker then “hit the turkey against the shackles two more times.”

Turkey Valley Farms has apparently been emboldened by FSIS’ toothless responses, with no fear of penalties or consequences. Please note that FSIS’ woefully ineffective action carries no criminal or civil penalties and does not preempt criminal liability under state law for acts of cruelty to animals. All the above conduct appears to violate Minn. Stat. § 343.21. Charges under state law are these thousands of victims’ only chance at even a small measure of justice. We urge you to take appropriate action. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Daniel Paden

Vice President of Legal Advocacy