theveganfencer:
Making History: Butterball Case Marks First-Ever Felony Conviction for Cruelty to Factory-Farmed Birds
“Mercy For Animals’ undercover investigation at a Butterball turkey factory farm in Hoke County, North Carolina, has led to what is believed to be the first-ever felony cruelty to animals conviction related to birds used for food production in US history. Considering that poultry make up 8 out of the nearly 9 billion land animals raised and killed for food each year in the United States, this felony conviction sets a powerful legal precedent. Brian Douglas, along with several other Butterball employees, was documented violently kicking and stomping on birds, dragging them by their wings and necks, forcefully throwing turkeys, and bashing in the heads of live birds with metal bars. Douglas pled guilty to felony cruelty to animals on Tuesday, August 28 and will serve 30 days in jail, followed by 42 months of probation. The four other workers were also charged with cruelty to animals, and their cases are pending.”
