A COK Report:
Animal Suffering in the Turkey Industry
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Conclusions
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For producers, profits have taken priority over animal welfare,
as birds are pushed beyond their physical limits and housed in conditions
that are both unhealthy and unnatural. |
Standard turkey industry selective breeding, mutilation, confinement, transport,
and slaughter practices cause turkeys to experience both acute and chronic pain.
Many of these practices would be illegal if anti-cruelty laws applied to farmed
animals. But most state anti-cruelty statutes exempt standard agricultural practices,
no matter how abusive. And, unlike many other countries, there is no federal
legislation in the United States protecting turkeys (or any other birds) from
abuse on the farm, in transit, or during slaughter.(63)
For producers, profits have taken priority over animal welfare, as birds are
pushed beyond their physical limits and housed in conditions that are both unhealthy
and unnatural. The economic self-interest of producers cannot be relied upon
to provide turkeys with humane care. As two poultry researchers asked, "Is
it more profitable to grow the biggest bird and have increased mortality due
to heart attacks, ascites, and leg problems, or should birds be grown slower
so that birds are smaller, but have fewer heart, lung and skeletal problems?....A
large portion of growers' pay is based on the pound of saleable meat produced,
so simple calculations suggest that it is better to get the weight and ignore
the mortality."(64)
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