Ontario Turkey Farm Employees Charged Following Animal Abuse Investigation

Jul 04, 2014

The Ontario Society of the Prevention of Cruelty of Animals (OSPCA) has placed 11 charges connected to the alleged animal abuse at one of the country’s top turkey producers, Hybrid Turkeys.

An animal rights group, Mercy for Animals Canada (MAC), released an undercover video in March 2014 at a Hybrid Turkeys farm in Bright, Ont., which shows farm workers abusing the birds. When the farm in question had learned about the misconduct, it immediately fired the perpetrators (five employees) who were identified in the video footage.

Following the release of MAC’s video, the OSPCA launched an investigation jointly with the Ontario Provincial Police and says that it is charging Hybrid Turkeys and the five employees who were involved in the incident.

The 11 charges include: four counts of causing distress by killing an animal in a manner that causes undo suffering, two counts of failing to kill an animal (turkeys) by a method that is humane/minimizes stress or pain, three accounts of permitting distress, one count of failing to provide adequate (medical) care, and one count of failing to provide the care necessary for basic animal welfare.

According to MAC, this is the first time that animal cruelty charges have been laid (in Canada) following the release of one of its undercover video missions. The OSPCA says the first court appearance will be held on August 13, 2014 in Woodstock, Ont.

The Story behind Hybrid Turkeys

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.