Animal cruelty exposed: Turkeys burned and gasping for air on Brazil farm
Animal Equality has released its first investigation inside a Brazilian turkey farm, exposing cruelty at a facility linked to BRF, one of the world’s largest meat producers.
These problems reflect what happens on U.S. factory farms, where 46 million turkeys are slaughtered each Thanksgiving.
Advocates stress that the cruelty extends to cows, chickens, pigs, and lambs—and that the U.S. also imports large amounts of meat, including from Brazil, tying American shoppers to a global system of exploitation.
➡ See the full investigation: https://animalequality.org/news/2025/11/20/turkeys-face-cruelty-on-brazil-farm/.
As more people learn how turkeys are raised, many rethink their holiday meals. Love Veg offers simple, plant-based recipes for holiday classics.
➡ Join the Love Veg movement: https://ae.onl/loveveg-organicvimeo.
Chapters:
0:01 – A First Look Behind Closed Doors
0:25 – Life Inside the Sheds
1:41 – Bodies Engineered for Profit
2:08 – Lives Without Joy or Freedom
2:44 – Confronting the Holiday Paradox
3:00 – A Call Toward Peace and Compassion
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Transcript (English — en)
For the first time, an investigation
into turkey farming
in Brazil is being made public.
Conducted by Animal Equality,
the footage comes from a Brasil Foods’ facility.
While we share moments of celebration
with our families,
we rarely stop to think about what turkeys go through
before ending up on our tables.
Investigators documented thousands of animals
crammed together in the same shed.
The floor of this shed is covered
with a layer or bedding
that absorbs the animals’ feces and urine.
The farm owner said
that this material is replaced every two years.
- How often is the turkey bedding replaced?
- Every two years.
Can you imagine the smell of this place?
According to investigators, the first sensation upon entering
the shed is suffocation,
followed by a burning feeling in the eyes and nose.
This happens due to the accumulation of ammonia
from the birds’ feces and urine.
This is the air the animals breathe their entire lives.
Ammonia causes various respiratory diseases
in the animals.
Ammonia also causes burns and painful wounds.
And among thousands of animals,
those who are sick or injured
do not receive any veterinary care.
For these companies,
it is considered an unnecessary expense,
and they prefer to absorb the economic loss
from the animal’s death.
These turkeys are part of a genetic selection process
that accelerates their growth to
increase meat production.
In just 70 days,
they reach a size that would take years to
develop under natural conditions.
This rapid and unnatural growth
causes serious health problems
and severely limits their well-being.
Trapped inside these sheds,
these birds cannot express
their natural behaviors and
end up living under constant stress
and psychological distress.
Turkeys are curious and social animals, capable
of forming bonds
and communicating with one another through various sounds.
In industrial farms,
their lives pass without stimulation, limited
to eating and gaining weight in a monotonous environment.
For the industry,
their only purpose is to grow quickly,
and be slaughtered, always prioritizing profit.
The true spirit of the holiday season is to
celebrate love, compassion, and hope for a better world.
That’s why we urge you,
your family, and your friends:
don’t honor such noble values
with animal suffering on your table.
Choose plant-based foods.
And include in your New Year’s resolutions the reduction
— or elimination — of your consumption of
meat, milk, and eggs.
Peace begins on our plate, and your choices
directly contribute to a better future.