I've participated in various online debates about foie gras, and someone always asks, "Why don't animal rights groups pick on the rest of the meat industry?"
But they do. You just never hear about these other campaigns in mainstream news outlets. For instance, take a look at this undercover PETA video of a Butterball turkey slaughterhouse. The animal rights group will file an animal abuse complaint against the plant, though one suspects they'll also use the issue to bring birds under the protection of the Humane Slaughter Act.
PETA's foie gras initiative is rich with misinformation, and I assume the same is true of this video. There's a lot of telling-not-showing, for one thing, which undermines their case. But do overworked slaughterhouse workers sometimes do cruel things? I don't doubt it.
(I should note that I don't endorse PETA's tactics and agendas. I tend to favor groups such as the Animal Welfare Insitute. )
When you're done watching the video, go to Heritage Foods and order a Heritage turkey for Thanksgiving. The birds taste better and company founder Patrick Martins has committed to a line of humanely raised and slaughtered animals.
