Annual 2025 Impact Report
Twelve months.
Millions of lives changed.
This is your compassion at work.
Dear Animal Advocate,
In 2025, together we turned compassion into action – and action into change.
We took on Ahold Delhaize, exposing the company’s abandoned commitment to end cruel cages in its supply chain. We released an investigation at a Kansas pig farm linked to the company and hosted protests at its headquarters in the Netherlands.
We also secured landmark legal progress, playing a key role in shaping the groundbreaking Animal Welfare Strategy for England, which promises to ban CO2 gassing of pigs, end the use of cruel cages, and put in place slaughter laws for farmed fish.
We advanced plant-based eating with the new Love Veg Latino programme. And we defended animals by reaching more than 78 million people with our important message for animals.
This report is proof of what’s possible when people refuse to accept cruelty.
Thank you for standing with animals.
Toward 2026 and beyond,
Sharon Núñez
President, Animal Equality
YOUR IMPACT IN NUMBERS*
24.8+ MILLION
ESTIMATED ANIMALS
IMPACTED
7.7+ MILLION
VIEWS OF OUR VIDEOS
131,000+
VOLUNTEERS AROUND THE WORLD
1.1+ MILLION
PEOPLE SIGNED OUR PETITIONS
1+ MILLION
VISITS TO THE LOVE VEG WEBSITE
307,000+
LOVE VEG SUBSCRIBERS
238,000+
LOVE VEG RECIPE BOOK DOWNLOADS
*Global data from January-December 2025.
Love Veg, Animal Equality’s plant‑based programme
The most powerful way to end animal suffering is by changing what’s on our plates. We made that change accessible, joyful, and global through our Love Veg programme.
Animal Equality helped Love Veg reach new communities by launching Love Veg Latino, offering plant-based recipes for Latino families in the US. We also launched new plant-based cookbooks worldwide, including one in collaboration with Michelin-starred chef Alexis Gauthier.
In Mexico, we hosted 52 free, plant-based workshops, reaching over 800 Dietetics students and community members. From festivals in Italy to Billie Eilish concerts in Germany, we met people where they were and invited them to try Love Veg.
We also helped shift entire food systems. We supported Mexico’s updated dietary guidelines, promoting less meat and more plants. We advocated for plant-based school menus in Spain and participated in the Sustainable Food Forum in Mexico, COP30 in Brazil, and a public consultation on Spain’s Sustainable Development Strategy. There, we amplified a clear message: animal protection is essential to sustainable food systems.
“My family and I are in the process of changing
our habits, and Love Veg recipes are a lifesaver!”
-Mabel, a Love Veg subscriber from Mexico
Ending Factory Farming
Factory farms confine hens, mutilate piglets, and separate calves from their mothers. Together, we will put an end to this cruelty.
In 2025, Animal Equality exposed conditions inside farms and slaughterhouses, then used that evidence to protect animals.
Our investigations and advocacy played a key role in shaping England’s recently published Animal Welfare Strategy. Once implemented, it will have a direct impact on the lives of millions of farmed animals. Promises in the strategy include moving away from cages for hens and mother pigs, the breeding of ‘faster-growing’ chickens, the killing of male chicks, CO2 stunning for pigs, and inadequate protections for fish slaughter.
In several US states, we stopped industry attempts to dismantle laws against cages. Challenges to California’s Proposition 12 stalled when tens of thousands of people spoke up against cages.
In Mexico, we helped shape the country’s first national Animal Protection bill, following the historic 2024 constitutional reforms, and ensured it contains protections for all animals, including those who are farmed. We continue to push for its approval in 2026. We even introduced an initiative to finally recognise fish as animals and require stunning before slaughter.
In Brazil, we secured animal protections in national environmental policy. This includes safeguards during climate-related disasters and limits on live animal transport.
Finally, in Spain, Animal Equality’s legal action against a pig farm resulted in sanctions for animal welfare violations.
These achievements are possible when the truth comes to light. Here are the investigations our supporters made possible in 2025:
US
Pig farm linked to Ahold Delhaize
Argentina
We submitted formal complaints to authorities.
Italy
United Kingdom
Trout FarmIt was a top-read article in The Guardian and sparked calls for fish slaughter laws.
Scotland
India
Findings were presented to the government with proposals for goat welfare rules.
Spain
This investigation was featured on billboards in the Madrid Metro.
Brazil
Cruelty exposed ahead of the end-of-year holiday season.
Germany
Fish abandoned in cages falsely claimed to be empty. Tesco cut ties with the farm.
“I thank all the investigators at Animal Equality, because you were the first
to help me discover the truth.
I had no idea what was behind it (the meat industry).”
-Chiara, Animal Equality supporter in Italy
Ending Cages for Hens and Pigs
Farmers confine millions of mother pigs and hens in tiny cages where they can’t move freely. Together, we are on a mission to end cages for animals.
While cage-free is far from cruelty-free, it is a critical step towards the kinder world we all dream of, and makes a meaningful impact for the animals currently trapped in the system.
For the first time, Animal Equality exposed pigs suffering in cages in the US. This footage was gathered at a farm linked to Ahold Delhaize, which promised to end cages in its US supply chain years ago. The images fuelled a global campaign, triggering protests at its global headquarters in the Netherlands. Demonstrations also broke out at US stores like Food Lion, Giant, Stop & Shop, and Hannaford.
The pressure didn’t stop there. Marriott hotels and Aldi supermarkets were confronted across continents for broken commitments against cages, launching the issue onto national live television.
Our efforts helped unlock systemic change. Italy committed public funding for a transition away from cages, starting in 2026. Spain now has two million fewer hens in cages than last year. And in India, hotels are phasing out cages in their supply chains, with some already reaching 100% compliance.
Moreover, following nearly 600 days of campaigning, Denny’s has pledged to stop buying from suppliers that cage pigs for their entire pregnancies. IHOP quickly followed suit.
Stopping Male Chick Killing
Male chicks in the egg industry are killed because they cannot lay eggs. In-ovo sexing technology offers an alternative by identifying the sex of embryos before hatching.
After five years of intensive campaigning, Italy published long-awaited guidelines to enforce a law against male chick killing. This law requires hatcheries to use in-ovo sexing technology, sparing 34 million chicks every year. Our work also drove change in Brazil, helping make in-ovo sexing technology available in the country. And Accor Americas became the first hospitality company worldwide to release a commitment against male chick killing. This will spare more than three million chicks per year.
Ending Force-Feeding for Foie Gras
The foie gras industry force-feeds ducks and geese, causing their livers to swell up to ten times their normal size. These diseased livers are then sold as an expensive dish.
In Spain, pressure led the Parliament to approve a motion calling for an urgent review of force-feeding practices. Animal Equality also backed a legal complaint against the Foie Gras Interprofessional Association for misleading advertising. As the industry downplays the suffering linked to foie gras, we will continue to show the harsh realities and violent practices involved in producing this ‘luxury’ dish.
Sponsored by Ruth Jones MP, Animal Equality UK began the year by hosting a Parliamentary event calling for the Labour Party to fulfil its electoral promise and ban the UK’s importation of foie gras made by force-feeding. We subsequently discovered that the long-awaited pledge is at risk of being blocked by EU-UK trade negotiations, and we raised awareness of the need for an animal welfare ‘carve-out’ to protect the pledge, via the Guardian, Express, iNews, and POLITICO. We commissioned a YouGov poll revealing that 93% of Labour voters surveyed believe the Government should deliver on the ban.
Ending Horse Slaughter
Every year, thousands of US horses are sent to Canada and Mexico to be slaughtered for meat.
Through Animal Equality’s digital actions, nearly 200,000 people raised their voices to end the export of US horses for slaughter. The SAFE Act, which has made it to US Congress, could permanently end this practice.
In Italy, Animal Equality’s investigation exposed a horse slaughterhouse. The evidence prompted prosecutors to open formal investigations, strengthening our growing campaign to end horse slaughter.
Bringing Media Attention to Animals
1,700+
MEDIA MENTIONS
79+ MILLION
ESTIMATED VIEWS IN THE MEDIA
*Global data from January-December 2025.
Animal Equality’s UK Scottish salmon investigation reached more than six million viewers on Italy’s national TV, leading the RSPCA Assured scheme to suspend one site and investigate another.
In the US, CBS News brought our Kansas pig farm investigation to millions, revealing mother pigs trapped in cages.
Animal Equality’s work has been highlighted by the following news organisations:
Together, We’re Ending Animal Cruelty
Everything in this report has one thing in common: supporters like you made it possible.
Because of your compassion, animals were protected by law, freed from cages, spared from violent practices, and seen by millions who can no longer look away.
A better world for animals is within reach. With you, we will keep pushing until cruelty has no place in our world. Help us drive the next victory for animals.
“I have gained the deepest conviction that my donations are used efficiently
and effectively. Your hearts and minds are in the right place.
And I also admire your professionalism and drive”.
– Daniela, a donor from Germany
PROTECT INNOCENCE
Lambs’ rich emotional lives allow them to build friendships and recognise facial expressions. Protect these intuitive animals by choosing plant-based meat alternatives.
