PETA protests in Rochester over accusations of a farm kicking and punching turkeys

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Animal rights group PETA gathered outside of East Avenue Wegmans on Monday to protest over the treatment of turkeys ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.

PETA is calling on the grocery store chain to acknowledge a video involving its turkey supplier, Plainville Farms. It appears to show farm workers stomping, kicking, and punching turkeys.

11 people have been charged with animal abuse in connection to the treatment of the turkeys at seven farms across Pennsylvania.

PETA wants Wegmans to immediately reconsider its ties with Plainville farms.

“PETA has attempted to reach out to Wegmans and they have been unresponsive and ultimately the responsibility lies on these retailers like Wegmans who are deceptively labeling these products as humane,” said Amanda Brody, a senior campaigner with PETA.

Wegmans officials call the animal abuse shown in the video “deeply disturbing” and say they’ve been in close contact with Plainville, who has acknowledged this will not be tolerated.

Since becoming aware, they say Plainville has implemented significant measures to ensure this type of behavior will no longer happen on their farms.