NEW OXFORD, PA. – In response to undercover footage depicting animal cruelty at a turkey farm supplying Plainville Farms made public on Aug 13, the processing company has taken action to ensure its animal welfare requirements are met. The company updated a statement on its website, which said the offending workers identified in the video from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) no longer work for Plainville and that it supports the prosecution of those people.

The company also said it invested in body cameras for workers to wear and it plans to be vigilant in its surveillance efforts, both internally and by trained third-party animal welfare experts. Ongoing, unannounced animal welfare audits will also be a part of the company’s protocol moving forward in addition to supplemental training and education of current and onboarding employees.  

In addition to the 13 workers being terminated, Plainville Farms also lost its “humanely raised” claim, which was certified by Global Animal Partnership (GAP), and the company is no longer listed as one of the turkey processors endorsed by the organization.

“Following a preliminary investigation by our third-party certifier, EarthClaims LLC, Global Animal Partnership has suspended Plainville Farms from the GAP. Program,” said a statement on the organization’s website. “GAP will take further action based on the results of the final investigation.”

It went on to say that GAP doesn’t tolerate and condemns the cruel treatment of turkeys like that discovered in the recent investigation.

Plainville Farms added that animal welfare remains a top priority.

“While we have had stringent animal welfare protocols in place, we will never hesitate to implement new approaches to ensure that we live up to our reputation for excellence and the ethical treatment of animals,” the company said.   

For more news on the meat industry, check out our meat & poultry page.