Poultry supervisor suspended in abuse case

Lewisburg, W.Va. —- Global poultry grower Aviagen Inc. said Wednesday it has suspended a supervisor and would investigate a video released by an animal-rights group that appears to show horrific abuse of turkeys at the company’s West Virginia farms.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said the video, which includes workers stomping on turkeys’ heads and twisting their necks to kill them, was shot by an undercover investigator who worked on the companies’ farms for more than two months.

The undercover worker, who was not identified, described stifling, dusty barns where the animals were kept and caught video of several workers killing turkeys, slamming them into metal cages and bragging about abuse of the animals.

Representatives of subsidiary Aviagen Turkeys Inc. on Tuesday were shown the video that “appears to show inappropriate actions and violations of our animal welfare policies,” the company said. “We condemn any abuse of the animals in our care and will take swift action to address these issues.”

The company said it was investigating the actions and workers shown in the video and they could be fired.

The supervisor involved has been suspended pending the outcome.

PETA filed a criminal complaint on Tuesday alleging animal cruelty, according to the Greenbrier County Sheriff’s Department.

In West Virginia, felony animal cruelty can be punished by one to three years in prison and up to $5,000 in fines.

Sherrie Rosenblatt of the National Turkey Federation in Washington, D.C., questioned the timing of PETA’s sting.

“I think it’s interesting that PETA, allegedly this vegetarian group, would go into a place and actually see something that is not common, and not say anything about it until about a week before Thanksgiving,” she said Wednesday.

“To me that is not making sure there is ethical treatment of animals, but it’s more about public relations propaganda.”