Almost half of turkey samples purchased at U.S. grocery stores harbored fecal bacteria reported the Los Angeles Times. Serious strains of antibiotic resistant salmonella called Salmonella Heidelberg and Salmonella Hadar forced recalls of turkey products from Jennie-O Turkey. The resistant salmonella strains were so deadly, officials warned that disposed meat should be in sealed garbage cans to protect wild animals. Yes, even wildlife is threatened by the factory farm-created scourges.
Turkey producers hope you have never heard about the many diseases plaguing turkeys and the medicines and vaccines given. Turkeys can suffer from Aspergillosis (Brooder Pneumonia), Avian Influenza, Avian Leucosis, Histomoniasis, Coccidiosis, Coronavirus, Erysipelas, Typhoid, TB, Fowl Cholera, Mites, Lice, Herpes (yes Herpes) Clostridial dermatitis, Cellulitis and much moreand the treatments are often as unsettling as the conditions. Consider, for example, the anti-coccidial drug halofuginone which Justia U.S. Law says"is toxic to fish and aquatic life" and "an irritant to eyes and skin." Users should take care to "Keep [it] out of lakes, ponds, and streams" says the Register. A few years ago, scientists even found the endocrine disrupter Bisphenol A (BPA) in fresh turkey.
The Turkeys That Didn't Reach Your Table
Turkey producers hope you have forgotten about avian flu that killed so many turkeys in the U.S. in 2015--at least 7.5 million--that turkey giant Jennie-O laid off 233 workers. Turkey giant Butterball hopes you have forgotten that several of its employees were convicted of sickening animal cruelty and that veterinarian Dr. Sarah Mason admits tipping Butterball off about an imminent raid by Hoke County detectives to investigate abuses against turkeys.
Even before 2015's bird flu in which turkeys were killed by suffocation in a way few can stand to watch, industrial produced turkeys had tragic lives. Unable to mate because of the huge chests they are bred for and many barely able to walk, the chemically-induced fast growth puts turkeys at risk of sudden death from cardiac problems, aortic rupture, (diagnosed by blood clots around the turkey's lungs) hypertensive angiopathy and pulmonary edema.
When I interviewed a "live hanger" who worked at House of Raeford Farms turkey facility in Raeford, NC, he told me the turkeys arrive at the slaughterhouse with broken and dislocated limbs. When you try to remove them from their crates, their legs twist completely around, offering no resistance he told me. "The turkeys must be in a lot of pain but they don't cry out. The only sound you hear as you hang them is trucks being washed out to go back and get a new load."
Some can forget the suffering and karma of the turkey industry this holiday. But they forget the antibiotics, ractopamine, animal drugs and vaccines and possibly fluoroquinolones, statins and antidepressants they are ingesting at their own peril.
(Article changed on November 22, 2020 at 16:08)
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