House of Raeford – one of the nation’s largest turkey slaughterhouses, where an undercover MFA investigation revealed shocking cruelty in 2007 – is facing federal charges for discharging water containing untreated turkey waste.
A federal grand jury on Monday indicted House of Raeford Farms and plant manager Gregory Steenblock on 14 counts of violating the federal Clean Water Act. The indictment accuses the company and Steenblock of knowingly bypassing its water treatment system at its Raeford turkey processing plant 14 times between 2005 and 2006. The wastewater was sent directly to the city’s municipal sewage treatment works, the indictment said.
The story continues with disturbing details of the company’s apparent lack of regard for the local environment:
The indictment said the treatment system at the House of Raeford processing plant couldn’t handle the daily flow of 1 million gallons of wastewater containing turkey feathers, blood, internal organs and other body parts.
The North Carolina-based slaughterhouse, which slits the throats of over 30,000 turkeys each day, is no stranger to controversy. After MFA’s
undercover video at the plant showed workers throwing, punching, sexually assaulting, ripping the heads off, and cutting the throats of conscious animals, Denny’s Restaurant chain announced it would end its supplier relationship with the company.
Watch the below video to see what goes on behind the scenes at House of Raeford.
Sadly, this house of horrors is
not merely a “bad apple” of the poultry industry, but another example of the industry’s disregard for animal welfare, human health, and environmental protection. Compassionate consumers can withdraw their support from this violent and bloody industry by adopting a
vegan diet.
