Investigation #2 - Turkey farms in the Montérégie and Lanaudière regions

Investigation

Whistleblowers reveal suffering and death at Quebec turkey farms

December 18, 2024

Behind the pretty colors of our packaging lies a most disturbing truth: turkeys raised in Quebec are often crammed by the thousands inside gigantic farms. The result? A system made for profit where the individual needs of each animal cannot be respected, and where they too often experience horror, agony, and death.

Our investigation shows images captured in two turkey farms in Montérégie and Lanaudière, taken by whistleblowers. These images are so abominable that one can barely look at them. They present the many problems that turkeys too often experience in Quebec, unfortunately typical of factory farming:

Many birds suffer from injuries, infections, and open wounds.
Many birds exhibit stereotypical behaviors such as feather pecking or cannibalism, which are the result of stress from captivity, lack of stimulation, and frustration.
Dead birds in an advanced state of decomposition are often found.
A turkey is repeatedly hit with a stick to kill it, then left for dead while still moving.
Hard floors and unsanitary litter cause leg injuries and ulcers.
Turkeys suffer from deformities and chronic pain due to the artificial selection they have undergone to grow faster.

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Even today, not all animals in Quebec are adequately protected by law. Currently, their rights do not depend on their sensitivity or intelligence, but on the industry that exploits them.

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See the images

Unfortunately, these problems are not new; for decades, the livestock industries have sought to increase profits at the expense of animals in Quebec, and have responded to demand by continuously expanding farms. According to industry figures, the number of turkeys raised in Quebec increased from approximately 6 million in 1974 to almost 9 million in 2023. Over the same period, the number of farms decreased by about 15%. But the codes of practice written to regulate these large farms, authorize their densities and practices, were then written… by the industry, in blatant conflict of interest.

The result: sordid buildings where animals, with no contact with the outside, are crammed by the thousands to live miserable lives before being sent to the slaughterhouse. Employees forced to masturbate turkeys so that reproduction happens faster and more reliably, and subjected to increasingly intense rates. Consumers who are shamelessly lied to every day through marketing campaigns totally disconnected from reality. Everyone loses, but the horror only accelerates.

Injuries and infections

Many birds suffer from wounds, infections and untreated open sores.

Aggression and cannibalism

Repetitive behavior and pecking result from the stress of captivity and the lack of stimulation in a crowded, monotonous environment. Some animals cannibalize themselves.

Living among corpses

Turkeys cohabit with decomposing dead birds.

Left to die

A turkey is struck repeatedly with a stick to kill them and is then left for dead while still moving.

Deformations

Turkeys suffer from health problems due to artificial selection for rapid growth.

Stressful handling

Turkeys no longer reproduce naturally, so employees have to masturbate males and then inseminate the females.

You want to do more?

Whether it’s by reducing your consumption of animal products, or by using your passion and talents to defend their rights, there are many ways to help animals in Quebec.

Discover the best ways to act simply, and at your own pace, for animals!