Sharon Núñez, President of Animal Equality, with a rescued hen in a sanctuary

CELEBRATING YOUR IMPACT IN 2022

You changed the lives of more than 202 million animals!

Dear friend,

A year ago, I said I was sure that with you by our side, we could expect even more victories for animals in 2022. 

I never imagined to what extent.

2022 has been a key year for animal protection due to all the progress that will impact more than 200 million animals in farms and slaughterhouses around the world. 

The progress that you made possible.

YOU got Italy to ban the killing of male chicks, a brutal but common practice in the egg industry.

Thanks to YOU, our dairy investigation was seen by millions on the BBC in the United Kingdom, inspiring people to switch to plant-based options to help cows.

YOU helped us to document animal cruelty at a slaughterhouse in Hidalgo, Mexico. And as a result, Congress passed an initiative to make Hidalgo criminalize animal cruelty in slaughterhouses and to be the first Mexican state to dedicate an entire chapter of the law to protect animals in farms.

YOU made millions of people think about how they treat animals and decide to take them off their plates.

If we can dedicate ourselves daily to creating a better future for animals, it is only thanks to people like you who support our work.

We will continue working hard to build a world where animals are finally respected and protected.

We are ready to implement our plans for 2023. You will see, with you, what we can do for animals!

Sharon Núñez
President, Animal Equality

HIGHLIGHTS OF 2022


We continue exposing the industry through undercover investigations and making tangible progress for animals trapped in factory farming: criminalizing abuse, promoting new laws, encouraging companies to implement commitments in favor of animals, and inspiring people to switch to a plant-based diet.

 

Their Voice #13 - Animal Equality's Magazine

Read Our 2022 Impact Report

 

ANIMAL EQUALITY'S INVESTIGATIONS IN 2022


13

INVESTIGATIONS PRESENTED

+2,000

NEWS STORIES

+2 MILLION

VIEWS OF OUR VIDEOS

+118 MILLION

MEDIA VIEWS

+2 MILLION

ANIMALS IMPACTED BY OUR INVESTIGATIONS

+202 MILLION

ANIMALS IMPACTED BY OUR WORK

DAIRY INVESTIGATION WATCHED BY +7 MILLION VIEWERS


Animal Equality’s undercover investigation inside Madox Farm, a dairy farm in South Wales, shocked the United Kingdom.

Our investigator documented workers kicking and punching cows in the face and stomach, twisting their tails, and hitting them with sharp metal shovels. In one instance, a pregnant cow was left to suffer and die after her baby died inside of her. At the time of filming, the farm supplied milk to Freshways, the UK’s largest dairy processor, whose products are distributed to major companies. The footage aired on BBC One’s Panorama, one of the country’s biggest television programs, and was seen by millions of viewers.

The response was huge, with hundreds of people pledging publicly to stop drinking dairy. Data gathered from the popular dating app Veggly show that 35% of the UK’s ‘vegetarian’ users have switched to ‘vegan’ since the investigation aired. There has also been a 40% increase in new vegan users.

Alongside the investigation, we launched a petition calling for a licensing system to be put in place for farms and slaughterhouses. This will only allow farms that successfully pass regular and thorough inspections to operate. The petition has been signed by over 74,000 people so far.

PROMOTING DELICIOUS
PLANT‑BASED EATING


Animal Equality includes strong diet change messaging in all our publications. This means encouraging our newsletter subscribers to transition to a plant-based diet and directing pages and news articles to our Love Veg website, which has easy recipes and helpful tips to inspire people to try plant-based foods.

Save a Lamb Campaign in Italy


Andrea Capodanno promoting a plant-based lifestyle

Animal Equality published the Save a Lamb Campaign in Italy surrounding the Easter holiday, comprised of two parts:

A heartwarming video filmed at an animal sanctuary with Bruno Bozzetto, an Italian cartoonist and film director, and Andrea Capodanno, a celebrated vegan influencer with over 200,000 followers, to encourage people to adopt a vegan diet and show them how affectionate and sociable lambs are.

An investigation focused on the transport of lambs conducted by Animal Equality with support from the German organization Animal Welfare Foundation (AWF) and the National Animal Protection Agency of Italy.

Encouraging Spaniards to Drop Dairy and Choose Delicious Dairy-free Alternatives

In Spain, Love Veg launched a series of publications to encourage Spaniards to drop dairy and choose delicious dairy-free alternatives:

  • 5 Reasons Why Plant-Based Milks Are the Milk of the Future
  • They Are Already Producing Cow’s Milk Without Cows
  • What if the Milk Ads Told the Truth?

Additionally, we adapted the cookbook created by Love Veg Mexico, My First Vegan Cheeses, and shared it via newsletters with our supporters.

Dulce Ramírez at the Mexican Senate

Updating the Healthy Eating Plate in Mexico

Animal Equality and Alianza Alimentaria promoted an initiative to reform Article 73 of the Constitution of Mexico, empowering Congress to provide sustainable food for people. The objective is to encourage a new Healthy Eating Plate in the country, based on the Planetary Health Diet by the EAT-Lancet Commission, which recommends reducing animal products. The result is a similar plate to what they currently have in the country as part of Norm 043, but with less environmental impact. This means fewer animal products and more fruits, vegetables, grains, tubers, and legumes.

At the same time, we’re promoting the General Law for Sustainable Food initiative, which represents a great step for animals because it promotes the consumption of plant-based food instead of those derived from animals. The proposal establishes that a food or dish will be sustainable if it meets any of the following conditions:

Its nutritional content was obtained with a percentage equal to or less than 10% of some animal products.
Contains at least 50% plant-based protein.

OUR LOVE VEG PROGRAM

Love Veg is Animal Equality’s signature plant-based program, inspiring millions worldwide to leave animals off their plates.

 

Vegan breakfast by Love Veg

 

India: Celebrities Endorse the 21-Day Plant-Powered Challenge

Several celebrities have joined Animal Equality to promote plant-based foods, including pro tennis player Vishwajeet Sangle, model, and actor Elena Fernandes. They also promoted the 21 days plant-powered challenge to viewers.

 

Latin America: Promoting Plant-Based Cheese and Milk to Save Cows and their Calves

Animal Equality launched a Love Veg campaign for Latin America to save cows and calves by informing consumers of the living conditions of these animals in the dairy industry and inviting them to replace cow milk and cheese with plant-based alternatives. Its recipe book, My First Vegan Cheeses , includes 29 recipes to live without dairy and has been downloaded more than 220,000 times since its launch in May.

A student during our Vegan Cheeses workshop

Mexico: Getting Started Guide

Since launching Love Veg Mexico in 2015, previously named Discover Your Food from 2015 to 2018, more than one million people have joined us. We welcome everyone with an introductory series of emails and continue to share content to provide our readers with the knowledge and support needed to transition to a plant-based lifestyle. We aim to keep them opening our emails, trying veg, and learning for at least a year.

Bring Peace to Your Table – Campaign for the holidays

For the holiday season, Love Veg made the Bring Peace to Your Table campaign to invite people to download three completely free recipe books with plant-based alternatives to the most representative appetizers, main dishes, desserts, and drinks for celebrations.

Post to promote one of Love Veg’s free recipe books for the holidays

Love Veg Gives Vegan Cheeses Workshops at Universities in Guadalajara, Mexico

In collaboration with the University of Guadalajara, the Anthropological University of Guadalajara organized the 2nd Plant-Based Nutrition Symposium, of which Love Veg was part. We offered the talk Creativity in Plant-Based Cooking and workshops where Nutrition and Dietetics students learned how to prepare vegan cheeses.

Our workshops toured the University Center for Health Sciences, laboratories of the University of Guadalajara, the ITESO food innovation laboratory, and the food laboratory of the Anthropological University of Guadalajara. The students verified that it is possible to eat without harming animals and that it’s also nutritious, affordable, and delicious.

Our Love Veg work has been featured in important Mexican media outlets such as Mimosa Magazine, Quadratín México, Tijuana Informativo, Hoja de Ruta Digital, and Crónica Jalisco.

STRONGER LAWS TO PROTECT ANIMALS


+76 MILLION ANIMALS IMPACTED BY OUR LEGAL WORK

With your support, Animal Equality submits proposals for new legislation based upon recommendations by leading animal welfare experts to improve the lives of animals. Animal Equality also advances animal protection by strictly enforcing laws and regulations.

Animal Equality at the Italian Senate when it banned the killing of male chicks

Italy Bans the Killing of Male Chicks in an Effort Led by Animal Equality

In 2020, Animal Equality launched the Stop the Slaughter of Male Chicks campaign, supported by more than 110,000 people. As a result, on a historic day, the Italian Senate ended the selective slaughter of male chicks. By 2026, the Italian government will have to introduce measures to ban the egg industry’s systematic killing of chicks, which are considered real waste since they can’t lay eggs nor be reared for meat. Between 25 and 40 million chicks’ lives will be spared annually.
Animal Equality's team in Mexico where they introduced a historic change in the laws to protect animals

Hidalgo Becomes the First State in Mexico to Protect Animals in Farms

As a result of our investigations and political lobby, the Congress of the State of Hidalgo has unanimously approved an initiative to modify the Law for the Protection and Dignified Treatment of Animals and the Criminal Code. This makes Hidalgo the first state in Mexico to dedicate an entire chapter of the law to animals on farms. In addition, it criminalizes animal cruelty in slaughterhouses. The killing of conscious animals and the operation of unregulated slaughterhouses is considered a crime and will result in sentences of up to four years in prison and fines. These reforms now protect approximately 50,000,000 pigs, cows, chickens, hens, lambs, and other animals raised for food.
Animal Equality protest on Capitol Hill demanding an end to the transportation of horses to be killed

Working for a Federal Ban on the Exportation and Slaughter of American Horses for Meat

Although the United States has effectively banned horse slaughter within its borders, every year, an estimated 30,000 horses are sent across US borders to Mexico and Canada to be killed for their meat. As part of a campaign to ban this, Animal Equality released an investigation showing American horses awaiting slaughter in Zacatecas, Mexico. These horses were seen with yellow USDA tags stuck to their bodies. Fueled by the images, Animal Equality’s supporters took action to demand an end to the exportation and slaughter of American horses. Hundreds of tweets were sent to US congressional leaders to demand a permanent ban. And, in December, supporters joined Animal Equality for a protest in front of the US Capitol. These efforts will be ongoing in 2023.

Zema Slaughterhouse Owner Held Accountable for Abuse

Animal Equality in Italy filed two complaints with the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Cremona against those responsible for mistreating animals at the Zema slaughterhouse. The investigation video we released in 2021 clearly showed workers and owners of the company beating pigs with sticks and shovels, slamming a pig against the wall, and ineffectively stunning them before slaughter, leaving them still conscious. The owner of the company faced charges for his actions. After one year and two hearings, the Court of Cremona allowed him – at the defendant’s request – to be ‘put on probation,’ i.e., the possibility of suspending the trial on the condition that he performs public utility work. In addition, he was required to pay Animal Equality and other animal protection organizations roughly 10,000 euros.
Animal Equality's and Advancing Law for Animals' lawsuit against Foster Farms

Lawsuit Filed Against Large Chicken Producer For Cruelty

Animal Equality filed a lawsuit against a Foster Farms hatchery in California when local law enforcement failed to respond to our 2021 undercover investigation into their facilities. The hatchery breeds approximately 3,300,000 chicks for Foster Farms every week and our investigation revealed baby chicks being routinely crushed, drowned, and mutilated. We’re seeking a court order prohibiting Foster Farms from continuing unlawful business practices and requiring the company to establish policies and procedures that protect the baby chicks at the hatchery investigated from unnecessary injury, suffering, and death.

Routine Inspections of Fish Slaughterhouses Introduced In Scotland

The Scottish government has introduced mandatory inspections in salmon slaughterhouses following Animal Equality’s investigation into The Scottish Salmon Company, which uncovered fish having their gills cut while still conscious and being clubbed by workers and left to suffocate. This would impact an estimated 45 million animals. Animal Equality is now pushing for mandatory surveillance cameras and for the footage to be made available to the public for scrutiny, with our legal advocacy campaign garnering media coverage in mainstream publications, including The Times.
Animal Equality UK members at a Parliamentary reception

Animal Equality Represents Farmed Animals At UK Parliament

Animal Equality, with The Animal Law Foundation, published a new report titled The Enforcement Problem In The UK. The report addresses the UK’s failure to enforce animal protection laws. At the same time, Animal Equality launched a campaign to hold animal abusers accountable. Since Animal Equality demands that the Government prosecute animal abusers and holds the meat industry accountable, we organized a Parliamentary event to gather support from Members of Parliament and Government officials for the campaign. At the event held in the Parliament, Animal Equality UK’s Executive Director, Abigail Penny, spoke about Animal Equality’s findings from years of investigation and presented the findings from the report. She gave a speech urging Members of Parliament and Government officials to take action. Actor and activist Peter Egan were also there supporting the campaign. The Parliamentary event brought the issue of a lack of enforcement of animal laws to the attention of politicians. Animal Equality will continue to work with MPs to increase support over the coming months.
Animal Equality in Brazil participated in a public hearing of the Senate

Animal Equality Went to the Brazilian Federal Senate to Defend Animals

For the past six months, Animal Equality has worked tirelessly to stop the ‘Self-Control’ bill in Brazil. The bill aimed to end mandatory government inspections of slaughterhouses and allow the meat industry to regulate itself. Our efforts began with launching an undercover investigation that showed how slaughterhouses operate without routine government oversight. After the launch, a coalition was formed, composed of 38 organizations that opposed the bill, including Animal Equality. In December, we participated in a Senate session to debate the issue. We emphasized that, if passed, the bill would subject more than 7 billion animals to cruel slaughter and put public health at risk for food-borne illnesses. Despite great pressure from society not to approve this bill, the agribusiness sector and large meat processors, unfortunately, have great power to influence Brazilian politicians. At the end of the year, the bill was approved. Now, Animal Equality, together with the other opposing organizations, is evaluating how to suspend the effects of this new law.

THANKS TO YOU, 57 COMPANIES ADOPTED BETTER PROTECTIONS FOR ANIMALS


Hens spend their lives in cramped wire cages where they can’t move freely and spread their wings. We’re pushing companies to eliminate cages and provide enrichments crucial to their well-being, like nest boxes, perches, and dust-bathing areas. Chickens are kept in dim sheds, forced to live in their waste, and bred to grow so fast that they experience painful leg deformities and heart attacks. We’re working to establish protections for chickens and end the breeding of chickens genetically selected to grow unnaturally large in just a few weeks, which results in painful health problems. We are also working to end the cruel killing of newborn male chicks, a common practice in the egg industry.

These commitments will reduce the suffering of more than 3,000,000 hens used for eggs, more than 119,000,000 chickens, and more than 79,000 other animals, like mother pigs trapped in cages.

57

COMPANIES THAT ADOPTED ANIMAL PROTECTIONS

+122 MILLION

ANIMALS IMPACTED BY OUR CORPORATE CAMPAIGNS

Animal Equality protest against Bank of America and Compass Group

Animal Equality Wins Groundbreaking Policy to Protect Mother Pigs

Thanks to Animal Equality, the world’s largest food service company—Compass Group, committed to eliminating the confinement of pregnant pigs in cages in its US supply chain by the summer of 2023. The policy was released just a few months after Animal Equality launched a public information campaign to inform Compass’ customers of the living condition mother pigs endure, confined to a 7-by-2-foot gestation crate, barely bigger than their bodies. Animal Equality was fighting for Compass to keep a commitment it made a decade ago to eliminate the extreme confinement of mother pigs who can’t even turn around for most of their lives. The company responded with a policy that eliminates gestation crates by 2023, includes meaningful protections for chickens, and a commitment to use eggs from hens not confined to cages. This will impact more than 16,000 pigs and 36,000,000 chickens annually, one of the strongest animal protection policies in the food sector.
Hand holding a baby chick

First Latin American Commitment to Ban the Killing of Male Chicks

After negotiations with Animal Equality, Mantiqueira, South America’s largest egg producer, became the first Latin American company to commit to rejecting hatcheries that kill male chicks. Millions of newborn male chicks are grounded up alive or suffocated because they can't lay eggs and wouldn't be profitable to be raised for meat. We’re working to introduce technologies in Brazil to identify the sex of the chick during the incubation period and prevent this senseless killing. Mantiqueira’s commitment will spare more than 7,000,000 male chicks a year. Following Mantiqueira’s commitment, Animal Equality negotiated with 3 other companies that also committed—Granja Raiar, Korin Alimentos, and Planalto Ovos, to spare more than 500,000 chicks a year.
Hens confined in battery cages in an Indian factory farm

More Hens Can Spread Their Wings in India

Animal Equality is working to persuade food companies to say no to eggs from caged hens and encouraging egg producers to ditch cages. We’ve recently started efforts in this area, impacting tens of thousands of hens.

RAISING AWARENESS ON ANIMAL CRUELTY


Together, we’ve made significant strides to help animals in 2022. Your actions have helped advocate for mother pigs trapped in cages, spotlight the plight of chickens, expose the dairy industry’s practices, and more.

Every campaign we launch is instrumental in improving the lives of chickens, cows, pigs, and other animals in factory farms and slaughterhouses worldwide. With each petition signature, we gain public support that allows us to persuade key decision-makers to introduce legal protections for animals. By sharing our work and contacting companies on social media, you’re helping to create awareness around animal suffering and hold the abusers accountable. These actions lead to changes in company policies, legal reforms, sometimes even closing factory farms and convicting animal abusers, and thousands of people switching to plant-based eating.

+133,000

VOLUNTEERS AROUND THE WORLD

+876,000

PEOPLE WHO SIGNED OUR PETITIONS

+497,000

PEOPLE RECEIVE OUR EMAILS

Horse in a slaughterhouse

Animal Equality’s Fight to End Horse Slaughter

Animal Equality launched an international campaign against the slaughter of horses. Around the world, about 5,000,000 horses are killed each year. These sentient and intelligent animals are treated like commodities in global trade, not only kept in slaughterhouses but also in long-distance transport between the countries that breed them and where they are killed. The clandestine trade linked to horse meat related to animals from other environments of animal exploitation, such as equestrian races and competitions, is also a global problem that has been denounced. We launched this campaign to bridge the gap between horses and other animals raised for food. The objective is to make people reflect that cows, pigs, chickens, and animals considered food are no different from horses, cats, dogs, and other animals we consider companions. Signers of the petition included in the campaign were also encouraged to transition to a plant-based diet to help animals.
Animal Equality at the European Parliament in support of an EU Commissioner for Animal Welfare

Calling for a European Commissioner for Animal Welfare

Animal Equality in Germany, Italy, and Spain is part of the #EUforAnimals campaign calling for the appointment of a European Commissioner for Animal Welfare. This appointment would ensure a permanent person in the EU Commission for issues related to animal protection that would be responsible for acting on violations. 181 Members of the European Parliament from different countries and political groups support the demand. Over 215,000 European citizens have already signed the petition for the #EUforAnimals campaign.
Animal Equality demonstration during International Animal Rights Day

Calling for an End to Cruelty to Animals in Factory Farms on International Animal Rights Day

On Animal Rights Day in Madrid, Animal Equality rallied with a group of activists and volunteers to demand an end to factory farms. We’re calling on the Government to enact legislative changes to protect them and end their suffering. The protest, which has been held for 14 editions (since 2008), has gone around the world and has become a reference event for the international animal rights movement.
Duck in a cage force-fed for the production of foie gras

Banning the Sale of Foie Gras in Germany

Animal Equality launched a campaign to end the force-feeding of geese and ducks caused by importing foie gras in Germany. Although force-feeding is already a violation of the country’s laws, in 2020 alone, Germany imported over 50 tons of foie gras from other countries, resulting in approximately 65,000 ducks suffering to supply that demand. Additionally, we’re calling for a complete ban on force-feeding in Europe to be introduced as part of the ongoing revision of European Union legislation about animals. Our petition has already received over 37,000 signatures of support.
Carla Lettieri, Executive Director of Animal Equality in Brazil

Protecting Animals in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay

Animal Equality in Brazil and Eurogroup for Animals organized a conference with key decision makers to discuss the negative impacts of the European Union’s Mercosur Free Trade Agreement (FTA) that will define the trade relations between the European Union (EU) and some Latin American countries, and that doesn’t currently include any guidelines on the treatment of animals. Among the issues discussed, participants debated the need to engage civil society organizations from Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay in decisions related to the FTA, such as the subsidies granted to the animal production industry, the use of natural resources by the animal agriculture industry, and topics related to One Health. This concept addresses animal health and environmental balance as essential to human health. Participants also urged members of the European Commission to increase transparency in animal-based products’ supply chains and to foster the transition to a plant-based food system.
Peter Singer

Peter Singer Presents his book Ethics Into Action

Animal Equality organized a conference with Peter Singer, one of the most influential thinkers of our time, to present the Spanish edition of his book Ethics Into Action: Henry Spira, The Activist Who Brought Multinationals to Their Knees, translated and published in Spanish by Animal Equality in collaboration with Plaza y Valdés. During his presentation, Peter Singer stressed the importance of the life and experience of Spira, the most celebrated pioneer of animal activism strategies in the 20th century, which can inspire new generations of Spanish-speaking activists worldwide. Peter Singer is also the author of Animal Liberation, credited with starting the animal rights movement.
Whiskers,farmed animal,Wildlife,Domestic pig

TAKE ACTION FOR ANIMALS

None of these results are possible without your support and generous donations. Together, we’re building a better world for animals—but there’s still more work to be done. Join Animal Equality today to help animals and keep pushing progress forward.

END ANIMAL CRUELTY