Our Achievements Worldwide
Since our founding in 2006, we’ve worked to protect the world’s most exploited animals: animals raised for food. So much has changed for farmed animals because of our efforts.
As you read this report, please know that the life-changing impact on animals is because of YOU. As a charity, we rely entirely on the generosity of the public and of granting bodies. 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!
Thank you!
IN THE UK
Only in the first months of 2021 Animal Equality UK presented a first of its kind undercover investigation, launched a new national campaign, and moved one step closer to an historic foie gras ban.
Exposing Cruelty Through Investigations
A Look Inside a UK ‘Quality Assured’ Pig Farm
In May 2021 we released an exposé inside a ‘quality assured’ pig farm in Scotland, owned by a senior pig industry figure. The investigation, published exclusively by The Times, also saw huge coverage in many mainstream and local publications – reaching the hearts and minds of millions of people. We revealed a number of serious animal welfare abuses, including:
- Pigs being hammered to death.
- Pigs gasping, wriggling, and showing signs of consciousness following multiple blows to the head.
- Piglets routinely slammed onto the concrete floor in an attempt to kill those deemed too weak or small to be profitable.
- Mother pigs suffering from months or years of forced impregnation, with their uterus or internal organs painfully protruding outside of their bodies.
Scottish actress and filmmaker Karen Gillan, showed her support for the campaign by urging her 7 million Instagram followers to sign the petition to call for better protections for pigs.
Because of the gravity of what we documented, the owner of the farm – a former member of the board of assurance scheme, Quality Meat Scotland – resigned from his chairman position and the farm was removed from the scheme.
First-ever Look Inside UK Fish Slaughterhouse
In February 2021, Animal Equality released an investigation into a Scottish salmon slaughterhouse – the groundbreaking footage was the first ever to be released in the UK. The investigation, published exclusively by The Times, revealed severe animal suffering, including:
- Ineffective stunning, leaving animals fully conscious while being cut and 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.
As a result of our investigation, official government inspections have been carried out into fish slaughterhouses in Scotland for the first time ever! And not just that, they will now be conducted more routinely.
Corporate & Legal Victories
Our Corporate Outreach Department is a crucial part of our organisation, impacting hundreds of thousands – sometimes even millions! – of animal lives as we persuade companies to adapt to put in place meaningful policies that reduce the suffering of the animals trapped in the system.
UK supermarkets campaign with Chris Packham
In March 2021, 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 garnered over 185,000 signatures and counting! Our important campaign has been covered on Sky News and in The Mirror, generating further support up and down the country.
One month into the public campaign, we began focusing efforts on Morrisons, following its misleading announcement that it would launch a range of chicken meat which met BCC standards, instead of meeting the BCC across all chicken meat products that they sell. A commitment from all UK supermarkets to sign the BCC will impact an estimated 800 million chickens every year.
Ban on Foie Gras
In March 2021, UK Government sources stated publicly 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 and Italy’s La Stampa. 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 2021, 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. While cage-free does not mean cruelty-free, it’s an important change for the millions of hens confined by the industry every year.
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.
Reducing Suffering for Chickens and hens in the UK
In July 2020, Pizza Express and Nando’s publicly announced that they have signed the Better Chicken Commitment, joining hundreds of other companies worldwide. The commitment came as a result of a powerful joint campaign with other animal protection organisations. These two policies alone will reduce the suffering of more than 30,000,000 chickens used for meat every year.
In 2018, one of the UK’s largest egg producers, Noble Foods, committed to end its use of cages for hens following a hard-hitting investigation by Animal Equality that exposed the terrible conditions hens used for egg production were living in and an intense campaign by The Humane League. The change in the company policy impacts 4.3 million hens per year who will be spared from living confined in a wire cage.
Convictions
Farm Workers Convicted for Animal Cruelty Following Animal Equality’s Investigations
- Three men pleaded guilty to animal cruelty offences which took place while they were employed at Fir Tree pig farm in Lincolnshire. The convictions result from an investigation released by Animal Equality, which captured footage of repeated and deliberate violent abuse of pigs by the farm workers.
- Shocking cruelty to cows and calves documented by Animal Equality investigators results in the conviction of a dairy farm worker.
- Shocking cruelty documented by Animal Equality results in the closure of Harling Farm and the prosecution of its workers for animal cruelty.
AROUND THE WORLD
Investigations
Our investigations are routinely covered in some of the biggest newspapers and news programs around the world.With the eyes of millions watching, we have been able to build vital public support for our important mission.
Pig Cruelty, Made in Italy
In February 2020, 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.”
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 urging the Government to conduct more frequent and effective controls 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 – such as Parma prosciutto, Mortadella and Italian Salami, making this relevant not only for Italian consumers but also consumers in the UK.
Pigs Suffer on ‘Farm of Horrors’
In February 2020, 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.
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 subsidising marketing campaigns promoting the pork industry with public funds.
Half Million People Joined Us in Calling for a Ban on Wet Markets
In February 2020, Animal Equality conducted an investigation to expose how animals are raised and killed in wet markets. Following our findings, we launched a worldwide campaign and petition calling on the United Nations (UN) to close wet markets across the globe with immediate effect. The petition reached over 500,000 signatures.
In April 2021 the World Health Organisation (WHO) published a guide in which it acknowledged the significant health risks associated with wet markets and called for a ban on the sale of wild mammals for consumption. Recent research carried out by the World Health Organisation in fact, revealed that some of the earliest known cases of COVID-19 can be linked back to a wholesale food market, with many of the initial patients being stall owners, market employees, or regular visitors to the market.
Animal Welfare Reforms
Revolutionary Animal Law Introduced in Jalisco
In 2019, our team in Mexico achieved a historic victory at the Congress in Mexico’s largest meat-producing state, Jalisco, making cruelty to farmed animals a criminal offence punishable by up to four years in prison. Achieved after three years of campaigning and 31 investigations into farms and slaughterhouses, the legal reform is estimated to impact more than 200 million animals every year.
California Goes Cage-Free
In California in the United States in 2018, we achieved one of the most progressive animal welfare reforms the world has ever seen. Working alongside other animal protection organisations, we successfully campaigned for Proposition 12 to be passed which banned the use of cages for all farmed animals raised in California, as well as for products imported into and sold in California.
No More Cages for Rabbits in the EU
In Europe in 2016, Animal Equality successfully campaigned for the European Union to ban the use of cages for rabbits raised for food after we had released a number of investigations into the cruel practice.
India First Country to Ban the Import of Foie Gras
After only three years since Animal Equality started its work in India, in 2014 we secured a victory of global significance, making India the first country in the world to ban cruel foie gras. In 2012, we carried out an investigation into the foie gras industry in the EU and presented an extensive report to the Indian government. Following two years of campaigning, the government announced that foie gras was to be completely prohibited.
Corporate Victories
From our years of campaigning, we have impacted millions of hens and chickens including an estimated 5 million in the UK, 10 million in Italy, 18 million in the US and Brazil, 85 million in Spain, and an incredible 264 million in Germany.
In Germany in 2020, we played an instrumental role in international retailer, Aldi, committing to a new set of welfare standards for chickens raised for meat.
In Brazil, our work led to the country’s second largest retailer, GPA, to commit to going 100% cage-free by 2028 for all of the eggs it produces.
New Technologies
As the world has evolved, so has our organisation. Since our inception, we have conducted work on new issues and adopted new strategic approaches.
Drones
In Brazil, we have used drones to capture investigative footage uncovering the links between animal agriculture and the destruction of the Amazon rainforest, a major issue for the health of our planet.
Underwater Footage
In June 2012, Animal Equality’s investigators went underwater to document the cruel and bloody slaughter of tuna in Italy. Our footage appeared on Spanish and Italian media, including a piece on Italian national paper “La Repubblica.” The footage was also featured in the awarded documentary Cowspiracy.
Holding Companies Accountable for Misleading Advertisment
And in 2019, we adopted a new strategic approach in Italy, suing one of Italy’s largest meat producers, Amadori, for misleading advertising, and forcing them to change their communication to consumers.
In 2020, we used this same approach in the US, filing official complaints against agribusiness giants, Tyson and Cargill, and leading pet food supplier, Champion Petfoods, with Champion Petfoods agreeing to correct its advertising as a result.
With each year, we have built on the successes and the lessons of the past, and we have shown what we are capable of. We are facing a global issue and progress doesn’t come easy, but we have shown that with compassion, determination and effectiveness, we can move towards the world we want to create a world – one in which all animals are respected and protected.
