SPRING IMPACT REPORT: JANUARY-MARCH 2021
Photo: Shutterstock
Friends, Supporters, and Allies,
I hope the New Year has given you all a much-needed fresh start after such a long and difficult 2020. Our team at Animal Equality has used this time to refocus our efforts and start 2021 strong. We have already released four investigations internationally, made strong progress in our legal advocacy work, and are making waves in fish protection. We even raised awareness for farmed animals at the Golden Globes thanks to our friend Joaquin Phoenix!
As you read this report, please know that the life-changing impact on animals is because of YOU. All of this work would not be possible without your support.
On behalf of all of us at Animal Equality, thank you for standing with us as we continue our efforts to make the world a more compassionate place for animals. As always, we are in this together!
With gratitude,
Sharon Núñez
President, Animal Equality
IN THE UK
In the first few months of 2021, Animal Equality UK presented a first-of-its-kind undercover investigation, launched a new national campaign, and got one step closer to an historic foie gras ban.
First-ever Look Inside UK Fish Slaughterhouse
In February, Animal Equality released an investigation into a Scottish salmon slaughterhouse – the footage was the first of its kind to be released in the UK. The investigation, published exclusively by The Times, revealed serious animal welfare abuses, including:
- Ineffective stunning, leaving animals fully conscious while being killed.
- Salmon being violently clubbed multiple times (as many as seven times per animal).
- Gills being torn by workers using their fingers, rather than a scalpel.
- Fish being violently thrown to the floor, left to suffocate.
Alexander Gould, who voiced Nemo in Disney / Pixar’s blockbuster film Finding Nemo, showed his support for the campaign by narrating the video of our investigative findings.
Our open letter, addressed to the country’s ministers, was signed by 70 world-leading aquatic animal specialists, welfare academics, and animal protection organisations. Together, we’re calling for specific protections to be put in place for fish and other aquatic animals at the time of killing.
The Better Chicken Commitment
UK supermarkets campaign with Chris Packham
In March, Animal Equality launched a new campaign alongside fellow UK animal organisations and TV conservationist and activist, Chris Packham, calling on UK supermarkets to sign up to a set of minimum welfare standards for chickens called the Better Chicken Commitment (BCC).
Chris launched a petition which has achieved over 170,000 signatures and counting! Our important campaign was covered on Sky News and in The Mirror, generating further support up and down the country.
Ban on Foie Gras
In March, UK Government sources stated that they are looking to implement a ban on the importation of foie gras made by force-feeding ‘in the next few months’.
Animal Equality has been campaigning in the UK on this issue since 2017 and has seen significant progress during this time, including cross-party political support, scientific and celebrity endorsement, and significant public backing. This historic legislation would impact approximately 250,000 ducks and geese per year and help set a precedent for similar bans to ensue.
While we are optimistic, the ban is yet to be implemented. That’s why we coordinated an open letter addressed to the Government ministers responsible for enacting a ban, urging them to specify publicly exactly when and how they plan to make good on their pledge. Our open letter was signed by political parties up and down the UK.
Our letter has seen widespread international media attention, with coverage in The Guardian, The Observer, Italy’s La Stampa, and was shared by Richard Dawkins to his nearly 3 million followers on Twitter. The letter has also led to a meeting between Animal Equality and the UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs team.
Hard Rock Horrors Exposed
In March, Animal Equality supported an international campaign as part of the Open Wing Alliance (a global coalition against cages that includes Animal Equality) calling on Hard Rock to release a cage-free commitment.
With 181 cafes, 25 hotels, and 11 casinos around the world, a cage-free policy would make a substantial impact for hens currently trapped in the system.
OUR WORK GLOBALLY
Italy
Pig Cruelty, Made in Italy
In February, Animal Equality released an investigation revealing the cruel and dangerous operations of factory farms from inside a pig farm in northern Italy. Animal Equality brought Italian journalist Roberta Spinelli to a farm in Brescia – a region that markets its products with the stamp of “Excellence Made in Italy.”
What we discovered was nothing close to the peaceful images of animals on green pastures portrayed by the region’s producers. The investigative team found:
- Animals with cysts and sores, unable to walk because of their painful wounds.
- Workers dragging frantic pigs by their legs with ropes.
- Sewage not properly disposed of, polluting the waters of a nearby ditch.
Based on our findings, a formal complaint against the owners of the farm was delivered to the Prosecutor’s Office of Brescia. In addition, a petition was launched in Italy addressed to the Presidency of the Council and the Minister of Health asking for more frequent and effective controls to be carried out in order to ensure compliance with the country’s rules on hygiene and animal welfare. The UK currently imports many pig-meat products from Italy, making this relevant not only for Italian consumers but also consumers in the UK.
Spain
Pigs Suffer on ‘Farm of Horrors’
In February, Animal Equality released an investigation exposing the cruelty and pollution caused by industrial farming from a pig farm in Spain. Our investigators traveled to Catalonia, Spain, where the country’s highest concentration of intensive pig farms are located. Not only was the farm not compliant with Spanish pig welfare regulations, but also evidence showed animal abuse, dangerous sanitation issues, and possible environmental crimes. The investigative team found:
- Pigs forced to live amongst filth, as well as eating food and drinking water contaminated with excrement.
- Injured pigs, some only able to crawl, left to suffer and die without veterinary attention.
- Pigs living with the rotting carcass of their companion, risking potential disease transmission.
- The illegal dumping of dangerous animal waste.
We reported our findings to local authorities so that the farm’s operators can be held accountable. This investigation was part of our #SecretoIbérico campaign in Spain, which includes a petition addressed to the European Commission requesting that it stop subsidizing marketing campaigns promoting the pork industry with public funds.
Revolutionary Animal Law Introduced in Jalisco
In March, Animal Equality proposed a new farmed animal bill in Jalisco, Mexico, where over 200 million animals are raised and killed for food. The bill seeks to include animals raised for food in the state’s current animal protection law and would add many meaningful protections for them.
When passed, the bill will:
- Ensure that all animals have access to adequate food and water.
- Regulate the production of cage-free eggs, defining cage-free standards.
- Guarantee breed selection takes into account animal health.
- Mandate that painful interventions (such as dehorning, tail cutting, castration) be performed by trained personnel under veterinary supervision.
- Provide animals with significant environmental enrichment and enough dark time to rest.
- Provide guidelines for natural disaster management that include evacuation if required.
The initiative will be voted on between May and June. Once approved, Animal Equality will develop the first rules and regulations for farmed animals in all Jalisco municipalities.
LEGAL ADVOCACY IN THE US
In January, Animal Equality resolved a lawsuit over Champion Petfoods’ marketing of trout in its products containing farm-raised trout. Champion Petfoods has corrected ‘wild-caught’ marketing claims on its website and has agreed to provide additional transparency regarding its fish sourcing practices. Champion also agreed to partner with an animal welfare consultant to provide additional animal welfare education to employees.
Also in January, Utah became the eighth state to ban cages in the egg industry. The bill will go into effect starting January 1, 2025. Although the bill was stripped of the provision banning the sale of eggs from caged hens, the remaining ban on the in-state use of battery cages will spare five million hens annually from life in a cage.
In February, Animal Equality beat Tyson’s motion to dismiss in our false-advertising lawsuit against them. Allowed to proceed, we drafted a model bill to regulate the use of animal welfare-related claims in advertising and on product labels to prevent humane-washing. Senators Cory Booker and Elizabeth Warren, along with Rep. Ro Khanna, sent a letter to the FTC in support of our complaint against Tyson.
India
The Truth About Aquafarming
In March, Animal Equality released an investigation of fish farms in India, exposing the abusive practices of intensive fish production. What we discovered within the crowded and unnatural environments was not only cruel, but also illegal. One particularly brutal practice is “fish milking,” an extremely painful process in which the eggs from a female fish are squeezed out by hand while the animal is still alive. In addition, the investigative team found:
- Living conditions so unhygienic that fish must be given antibiotics.
- Workers cutting the gills off fish without prior stunning, resulting in the animals bleeding to death.
- Conscious catfish clubbed several times in an effort to slaughter them.
- Children slaughtering fish, which violates child-employment laws.
The abuse witnessed on these farms is in direct violation of India’s Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and the country’s constitution. Animal Equality reported our findings to India’s government and launched a petition addressed to local authorities.
New Technology Can Stop the Massacre of Male Chicks
In March, Animal Equality launched a campaign in the United States to draw attention to the widely unknown practice of male chick culling. Billions of birds across the globe face death on the day they are born simply because they are the “wrong” sex and not deemed profitable to the egg industry. The U.S. is the second largest egg-producing country in the world killing around 300 million male chicks each year, while France and Germany are leading the way in using alternative in-ovo sexing technology and banning outdated culling methods.
FARMED ANIMAL AWARENESS AT THE GOLDEN GLOBES
Joaquin Phoenix, an outspoken vegan and animal advocate, once again used his celebrity platform at the Golden Globes to raise awareness for farmed animals. This time it was through his clothing choice. He wore his favorite Animal Equality hoodie on stage to present an award in front of millions of viewers.
Photo: Christopher Polk / NBC
Global Media Coverage
Our work was featured in major media outlets around the world.
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