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Pennsylvania

11 workers on Pennsylvania farms charged after allegedly kicking, stomping and beating turkeys

Plainville Farms CEO Matt Goodson says company has 'zero tolerance' for such actions

By Stephen Sorace Fox News
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Eleven workers at Plainville Farms in Pennsylvania have been charged with animal cruelty after a PETA investigator captured video allegedly showing them kicking, stomping and beating turkeys.

The mistreatment took place at the company’s farms in Chester, Cumberland, Franklin, Fulton, Perry and Union counties, Pennsylvania State Police said Thursday. A total of 139 charges were filed, including six felony counts of aggravated cruelty to animals and 76 misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty. 

The workers were responsible for capturing and crating turkeys destined for slaughter, police said. 

Police launched the investigation in August 2021 in response to a complaint from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). An undercover PETA investigator was hired at one of the farms and captured video of the alleged animal cruelty. 

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Three wild turkeys

Eleven workers at Plainville Farms are facing dozens of animal cruelty charges after allegedly abusing turkeys. (iStock)

"Every night, at every farm the crews worked at, these men threw turkeys, viciously kicked and stomped on them, and killed them in the most rampant, top-to-bottom display of cruelty to farmed animals we’ve ever seen," Dan Paden, a PETA vice president, told The Associated Press in a phone interview.

Matt Goodson, Plainville’s chief executive officer, said the company has fired the employees implicated in the abuse and has a "zero tolerance" for their alleged actions.

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"Plainville remains committed to the highest welfare standards for our animals and customers. We believe that it’s important for incidents like this to come to light in order to challenge our industry to do better," Goodson said in a statement Thursday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.