JANUARY-SEPTEMBER 2021 IMPACT REPORT

In September, Animal Equality released an exposé on the deforestation of the Pantanal wetlands and Cerrado savannas in Brazil, some of the most threatened ecosystems on the planet. Our investigators traveled to the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil’s largest producer of beef, to document the illegal fires and filmed injured wildlife fleeing the fires while newly introduced cows grazed the charred landscape. Through interviews with local activists on the frontlines, we discovered that most of the devastation is caused by forest fires intentionally set by cattle ranchers to clear land to raise cows for meat and supply international shipments of beef. Animals are sent to unlicensed slaughterhouses with no minimum welfare standards, and animals are brutally slaughtered without prior stunning.

Animal Equality is petitioning Brazil’s National Congress and world leaders in the US, Mexico, the UK, Italy, Germany, and Spain to take actions that will end this animal abuse and environmental devastation.

In July, Animal Equality released an investigation into the deliberate starvation of hens to increase their egg production, a cruel practice called “forced molting.” Hens are deprived of food and water for 7-14 days. In addition to experiencing extreme hunger, the stress causes the animals to lose protective feathers and become more susceptible to illness.

Footage from our investigation revealed:

• Hens with an inflamed egg cavity, with the presence of pus and blood.
• Hens with badly cut beaks and injured and malformed legs.
• An area of the farm where dying birds are abandoned without veterinary attention.
• Up to 6 chickens in a cage, with their limbs stuck between the bars.

The investigation took place in Mexico’s top egg-producing state, Jalisco. As a result of our investigation, Animal Equality presented an initiative in the Congress of Jalisco that calls for a ban on forced molting.

The investigation was covered by 20 news outlets, including Grupo Reforma, ADN40 Televisión, and Mural.

In July, we released an investigation documenting suffering and abuse on a pig farm in the Lombardy region in Northern Italy. This is a follow-up to a previous investigation of another farm affiliated with the Bompieri Group, known for its reputation of “Excellence Made in Italy.”

The investigation—carried out in collaboration with local Italian television—reveals cruel and unsanitary living conditions, including:

• Mummified and rotting dead animals in the corridors of the farm, in violation of the law.
• Animals with large cysts, wounds, and hernias.
• Animals living in cages flooded by untreated sewage, with their food also contaminated with feces and insects.

This is some of the worst cruelty we’ve ever seen, but it’s just a glimpse of what the industry hides from the public. Animal Equality reported the farm to local authorities, urging them to intervene.

In May, Animal Equality released a report of the catastrophic environmental consequences of industrial farming. The information was a culmination of two years of investigations into numerous factory farms in Jalisco, a state that produces most of Mexico’s animal products. It was also a follow-up to the findings of our short documentary, Enemy of the Planet, which shows the visible ecological damage of the region via drone footage.

During our extensive investigations, we discovered:

• High levels of greenhouse gas emissions from ponds filled with animal excrement.
• Wastewater spills that cause algal blooms and ‘dead zones’ in the region’s lakes.
• Toxic odors from poor management of infectious biological waste.

We reported 44 farms to local authorities, asking that the farms be shut down and held responsible for repairing the environmental damage they have caused.

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.

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, Animal Equality filed a formal complaint against the farm owners with the Prosecutor’s Office of Brescia and a hearing has been set for mid-December. 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 to ensure compliance with the country’s rules on hygiene and animal welfare.

With your help, Animal Equality and a coalition of more than 75 nonprofits persuaded Yum! Brands to adopt a global cage-free egg policy. Including popular chains KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell, this public commitment will affect nearly 50,000 locations in 150 countries, which is the largest number of locations ever impacted by a single cage-free policy. Most of its locations will transition by 2026, with a global target of completion by 2030. The fast food corporation also agreed to provide annual progress reporting to ensure transparency.

In June, Animal Equality received the 2020 #Campaign4Animals Award for the creativity and far-reaching impact of our campaign to ban the sale of live animals at wet markets. The award is given yearly by Eurogroup for Animals, a European animal advocacy organization whose key focus is to improve the wellbeing of as many animals as possible through effective legal advocacy and public awareness work. At the 2021 Annual Meeting, members were invited to present and vote for the winning campaign. Nominees were required to show how their campaign responded to the COVID-19 crisis, mobilized supporters, and impacted animals.

Animal Equality was one of eight to pitch to 130 attendees across 77 member organizations. In our presentation, we highlighted our campaign’s carefully curated strategy, resourcefulness, and ability to engage half a million people around the world to take action for animals.

In September, British TV actor and animal advocate Peter Egan and plant-based Michelin-starred French chef Alexis Gauthier joined Animal Equality to hand in over 225,000 signatures to the British government calling for a ban on the importation and sale of foie gras made by force-feeding ducks and geese.

Launched in June 2017, the petition has received cross-party political support and celebrity endorsement from Ricky Gervais, Joanna Lumley, Thandiwe Newton, Dev Patel, and Alan Carr.

In honor of National Cat Day on August 8, renowned cat behavior expert and vegan Jackson Galaxy joined our campaign to ban the illegal cat and dog meat trade. Jackson’s video gave a voice to our voiceless companions and asked supporters to help cats and dogs by signing our petition for an official government ban on the illegal trading of their meat and fur in China.