By Isolde Raftery, msnbc.com
The animal rights group, Mercy For Animals, had chosen the Butterball factory ? the largest producer of turkeys in the United States ? at random.
An investigator applied for a job at Butterball?s turkey insemination plant in Shannon, North Carolina, and, after being hired, went to work wired with a tiny camera to capture video of how the turkeys were treated.
In mid-December, that investigator turned over three weeks of harrowing footage of 90-pound tom turkeys being dragged, beaten and bloodied to the Hoke County Sheriff?s Office. On Wednesday, three Butterball workers were arrested and charged with misdemeanor crimes for abusing the turkeys.
In addition, Dr. Sarah Jean Mason, the director of the Animal Health Programs with the North Carolina Department of Agriculture, was charged with obstruction of justice for tipping off Butterball managers about the law enforcement investigation. She was placed on probation for 12 months.
After viewing the footage captured in December by the animal rights investigator, Hoke County officials planned a raid that included six detectives, two veterinarians and two animal welfare experts, according to a release from the Hoke County Sheriff?s Office.
Earlier story: Butterball turkey factory raided after abuse claims
During the raid, veterinarians determined that many of the birds needed to be euthanized.
At the time, Butterball released a statement saying the company had a ?zero-tolerance policy for any mistreatment of our birds.?
?Animal welfare is central to Butterball,? the statement continued, ?and we are committed to the highest standards to ensure that all turkeys processed for consumption are treated in a humane manner.?
Nathan Runkle, founder and executive director of Mercy For Animals, called this a landmark case because few animal cruelty charges are filed regarding poultry. His organization has instigated a dozen similar investigations, five of which have led to criminal or civil charges, he said.
?There was no insider information of abuse at Butterball which leads us to believe that this kind of animal neglect is rampant,? Runkle said. ?Unfortunately, every time we send an investigator they emerge with shocking evidence of animal abuse.?
Butterball accounts for 20 percent of the country's turkey production, according to the company?s Web site, and is known for its Turkey Talk-Line, which fields 100,000 calls around Thanksgiving.
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