American Ostrich Farms Faces PETA Lawsuit Following Whistleblower Report

For Immediate Release:
December 9, 2024

Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382

After receiving damning images and allegations  from former employees at American Ostrich Farms, an Idaho-based producer of ostrich meat, PETA filed a lawsuit on behalf of consumers in Washington, D.C. against the facility over its allegedly false, misleading, and deceptive advertising. As explained in the lawsuit, the whistleblowers’ allegations included that workers kicked birds using extreme force, hit them with shepherd’s hooks, and shoved their boots into their genital openings, saying, “I’m gonna f*** you in the a**.” Despite this, American Ostrich Farms claims in its advertising that it treats ostriches “humanely,” “ethically,” and with the “highest standards of animal care and respect.”

“Whistleblowers have reported birds at American Ostrich Farms being beaten, broken and violated before being slaughtered and sold to consumers with a ‘humane’ label,” says PETA Foundation Deputy General Counsel and Director of Litigation Asher Smith. “PETA is warning shoppers to recognize humane washing claims—because the only humane meal is a vegan one.”

Ostriches are African nomads, designed by 60 million years of evolution to roam over vast tracts of grassland and desert. But whistleblowers reported that at American Ostrich Farms:

• Birds were kept in enclosures that were often wet and muddy, without adequate shelter from rain, snow, and wind.
• During winter, birds were forced to sit on freezing mud until their feet became frostbitten, including one bird whose skin split, exposing the bone.
• Ammonia levels were so high in the enclosures for chicks that they temporarily went blind.
• Chicks who were ailing and in distress huddled together, causing some to suffocate.
• Some birds were reportedly so terrified that they ran into fences, breaking their wings and toes, skinning their legs, and tearing open their skin.

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. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.