Q1 2024 IMPACT REPORT
Three months, one million animals.
This is your impact so far…
And it is just the beginning!
Dear friend,
I’m excited to share our first report of the year with you. As you go through it, remember how far we’ve come and the endless possibilities ahead.
Thank you for fuelling this journey. Let’s keep breaking barriers, challenging norms, and moving forward with compassion and determination.
With you on the animals’ side, here’s to a year of hope and positive change!
With gratitude and optimism,
Sharon Núñez
President, Animal Equality
OUR QUARTer by the numbers
1.1+ MILLION
ANIMALS IMPACTED
2.3+ MILLION
VIEWS OF OUR VIDEOS
132,000+
VOLUNTEERS AROUND THE WORLD
171,000+
PEOPLE PARTICIPATED IN OUR CAMPAIGNS
TOP Three highlights
1. Animal Equality presents two bills in Brazil that could save billions of animals
Animal Equality in Brazil has introduced two bills with the potential to spare billions of animals from suffering. The first bill targets the prohibition of killing male chicks in Brazil. Each year, millions of male chicks are killed globally simply because they cannot lay eggs and are not the ‘right’ breed for meat. This bill aims to put an end to this cruel practice by introducing in-ovo sexing technologies. These advanced methods enable non-invasive sex identification of the embryos inside eggs before hatching, effectively preventing the unnecessary killing of millions of male chicks each year.
Simultaneously, the second bill aims to mandate labelling on products containing animal ingredients, informing consumers about the cruel realities of meat production. By providing transparency about the processes involved, it aims to encourage consumers to consider plant-based alternatives, thereby reducing demand for animal products.
2. Mexico approves first nationwide Sustainable Food Law
In Mexico, the nation’s first Adequate and Sustainable Food Law has been approved supporting the country’s transition toward plant-based foods. This achievement stems from Animal Equality’s three-year collaboration with Food Alliance and Climate Action, all of whom worked together with Senator Nancy de la Sierra Arámburo to propose the groundbreaking bill. With the passing of this law, Mexico will now promote a dietary model that prioritises the consumption of plant-based foods while significantly reducing the consumption of animal products.
3. Animal Equality pursues judicial review to halt the construction of super-sized onshore salmon farm in Grimsby
Meanwhile, in the UK, Animal Equality has pursued a judicial review to halt the construction of one of Europe’s largest salmon farms and the UK’s first fully onshore farm, signalling opposition to Scottish salmon farm expansion. The Grimsby-farm, aiming to ‘produce’ 5000 tonnes of dead salmon a year, has been granted planning permission by North East Lincolnshire Council without them conducting an Environmental Impact Assessment or taking animal welfare into account as a ‘material consideration’. If we are successful in blocking this farm from going ahead, this will spare millions of fish from lives of suffering.
EATING PLANTS TO HELP ANIMALS
Leaving animals off our plates is the most powerful action we can take to prevent their suffering on factory farms. Animal Equality’s investigative exposés uncover the why behind helping animals, while Love Veg offers the how. Our plant-based messages guide supporters to Love Veg for recipes, nutrition advice, and tips!
HIGHLIGHTS
311,000+
VISITS TO THE LOVE VEG WEBSITE
170,000+
LOVE VEG RECIPE BOOK DOWNLOADS
93,000+
ESTIMATED MEDIA VIEWS OF LOVE VEG
389,000+
LOVE VEG SUBSCRIBERS
Animal Equality kickstarted 2024 with its launch of a new and improved Love Veg and a billboard in Times Square, New York City, inspiring hundreds of thousands passersby to switch to plant-based alternatives.
In Mexico, we conducted successful plant-based workshops at a public university and a community centre. Through Love Veg, we showed attendees the emotional lives of animals and empowered them to eat compassionately.
I’ve learned that legumes are an excellent substitute for meat.They multiply, are cost-effective, require less land and water, and, most importantly, their production doesn’t involve any animal abuse.
Nutrition student who participated in the workshop
Ahead of the arrival of spring and Meat Out Day, we showcased our iAnimal virtual reality project across Italy. Through events in Milan and Rome, attendees witnessed the lives of animals in factory farms, and we encouraged them to join our Love Veg movement.
In India, we continue to promote our 21-Day Plant-Powered Challenge with Harsha Maheshwari, a renowned TEDx speaker.
CHANGING THE WORLD FOR ANIMALS
FREEING HENS FROM CAGES
After dialogues with Animal Equality, Indian companies are ditching cages. Hotels like Intercontinental, Four Seasons, and Westin in Mumbai are shifting away from using eggs from caged hens, sparing millions of these sensitive birds from lives behind bars. Alongside our corporate campaigns, we are collaborating with the Indian Government to eliminate some of the worst abuses of hens nationwide. We have submitted a study illustrating how farmers can transition away from caged systems in practice.
PROTECTING CHICKENS
Animal Equality submitted a petition urging the European Parliament to halt fast-growing chicken farming and filed a lawsuit against 27 EU nations for breaching European law. Due to their excessive weight, chickens raised for meat are often unable to move and suffer burns in their skin and chronic pain in their legs. Despite initial pushback, the European Commission acknowledged the need for an investigation.
Meanwhile, our teams in Spain, India and Brazil are continuing to advocate for a ban on male chick killing in the egg industry, promoting technologies that prevent this killing.
STANDING UP FOR FISH
Animal Equality was invited to speak in Parliament to discuss the need for the UK Governments to enact species-specific legislation for farmed fish at the time of slaughter. Alongside leading retailers, industry, lawyers, experts, and other animal advocates, we persuaded key decision-makers of the genuine importance of this legislation, explaining why these recommendations need to be enshrined in the law rather than being left to opt-in certification schemes and industry codes of practice. Since, Animal Equality has called on the Government’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to provide a roadmap and timeline for enshrining this legislation in law. We also secured coverage in The Grocer for the event, amplifying public awareness around the plight of farmed fish.
Concurrently, Animal Equality remains committed to holding salmon farms accountable for their practices. After receiving footage from whistleblowers revealing Scottish salmon suffering in suspended cages in intensive aquatic farms, we took legal action. Our complaint to the UK Government initiated an investigation into Mowi, a global salmon producer, illustrating our dedication to utilising all legal avenues in our fight to protect aquatic animals.
DEFENDING PIGS
In the US, Animal Equality is continuing to hold Denny’s accountable for reneging on its promise to eliminate gestation crates for mother pigs. We have now initiated a campaign against their public relations and marketing firm, Finn Partners. The campaign began with a protest at Finn Partners’ headquarters in New York City. We’ll persist until Denny’s has empty cages, not empty promises!
In Germany, Animal Equality has pressed on with its campaign urging Aldi Süd to eliminate cage farming from US supply chains, a move that would remove some of the cruellest methods of confinement of millions of pigs and hens every year. Our efforts have included ongoing protests, such as a projection at an agricultural trade fair in Berlin. We also orchestrated a powerful demonstration across key German cities, featuring a truck with transparent walls containing a cage used to keep mother pigs during pregnancy. This innovative display aimed to vividly depict the cramped conditions of these cages known as gestation crates. Additionally, we staged a protest at Aldi Süd’s headquarters and their largest store.
Meanwhile in Spain, the pursuit of justice against animal abusers shows no signs of slowing down. In 2018, Animal Equality partnered with a TV show to expose disturbing footage from within a farm known as Hermanos Carrasco. The footage depicted appalling conditions, including pigs immobilised by hernias, afflicted with tumours, deformities, and abscesses, alongside pig carcasses left to rot among living animals, and scenes of cannibalism. Now, the owners of Hermanos Carrasco are on trial for animal cruelty and we anticipate the release of the verdict very soon.
BANNING FOIE GRAS
Animal Equality released footage revealing foie gras production in French farms. This footage aired on Italian television, reaching thousands and exposing the reality behind force-feeding ducks. In the UK, after organising tweetstorms aimed at Michelin-starred restaurants that were still profiting from selling foie gras, we are pleased to see that both Bibendum and Galvin Green Man have now removed this vile ‘delicacy’ from their menus.
LIVE ANIMAL TRANSPORTATION
In Madrid, Animal Equality installed a replica ship to shed light on the deplorable conditions animals face during transport. We documented the journeys of animals forced to travel from Spanish ports to the shores of the Lebanon, narrating their story through one cow, identified merely by their tag number: 7840. The story of 7840, together with unpublished images from the Animal Welfare Foundation, were published in Spain’s top newspaper, El Mundo, and La Sexta, a popular TV news program, capturing the eyes of 33 million viewers. With 45,000+ petition signatures, we are urging the European Commission and the Spanish Government to end such cruelty.
Our Spanish team isn’t alone in opposing the live transport of animals. In Germany, we’ve urged the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture to issue stricter regulations regarding animal transport in the European Union and the country’s animal laws.
BRINGING THE ATTENTION OF THE MEDIA TO ANIMALS
YOU CAN HELP ANIMALS
Are you thrilled by the progress you’ve made for animals? Are you ready to make 2024 the most groundbreaking year yet? Support this work today and continue the fight against animal cruelty!
