Ending the cruelest farming practices one company at a time: Dane Charbeneau, US Campaigns Manager

My name is Dane Charbeneau. I am Animal Equality's campaign manager
in the US, and I've been with Animal Equality for about eight years
now.
The first half of my time with Animal Equality was mostly spent on
educational campaigns, and the
second half has been focused on corporate campaigns for animals.
Pregnant mother pigs enduring the horrors of gestation crates,
to me, really symbolizes the epitome of cruelty in our food
system.
The sheer inhumanity of confining animals in spaces
so small that they can't even turn around is almost
hard to comprehend. So this decision was fairly easy for
us. We felt like it was our duty to speak out on this issue,
and we've not only
educated the public about what happens to animals behind
closed doors,
but we've also been able to encourage
companies and influence companies like Denny's and Aldi to take a
stand against it by committing to not purchase from farms that
cage animals.
Yeah,
I think that, like I said,
Animal Equality is committed to ending the worst abuses for animals
used for food, and I think by starting with the worst of the
worst, it just kind of moves us in that direction to
a much more humane world for animals.
And
every time that we see
improvements in our food system, like the movement away from cages, we can
see that laws are being put in place to completely ban
this. So it becomes not just a
commitment by a company, but it becomes a legal issue as well.
And then we also see education in the public and
how people are starting to learn about what really
happens to animals in factory farms and slaughterhouses.
And so with this education, they can make more informed
decisions about what they choose to eat and
hopefully move towards consuming plant-based products
over animal products.
Well,
it's heartbreaking, really. Imagine being confined in a space that's
barely larger than your own body for months on end.
It's a life of utter deprivation.
You
deny these intelligent and social animals of anything that's
natural to them, the ability to express any natural behaviors,
let alone the joys of motherhood. And it's really
their entire lives that they have to live this way.
After giving birth,
these mother pigs are then moved into similar cages that are called farrowing
crates, and they're just slightly larger than a gestation
crate with usually just a concrete slab where the piglets
will live and have to feed
through metal bars. And after
two to three weeks, these piglets are separated from the
mother, and the mother is
forced back into the gestation crate and impregnated again and
again and continues to be
forced into this cycle of abuse and this
forced breeding and imprisonment.
So this intense confinement, the loneliness, the
deprivation,
it can really put a huge strain on these
animals that are really intelligent, and it causes,
essentially, these animals to go insane.
And it's manifested through abnormal behaviors,
such as knocking their heads back and forth or biting on the
metal bars. And after three or four
years, their bodies are usually pretty exhausted at this point, and then they're
sent to slaughter way too soon, way before their
life expectancy. So it's a horrible existence, and
we've decided we need to make it a priority to end this cruelty.
Yeah, I think there's a significant gap between what consumers
expect and the reality of conditions for
animals in these supply chains. Americans are increasingly concerned
about animal welfare,
and they're definitely ready for change.
They expect companies like Denny's and Aldi to uphold their
commitments and demonstrate responsibility in their business practices,
and we're here to ensure that those expectations are met.
We've made it our duty to bridge this gap and hold
companies accountable for meeting the expectations of their customers.
Yeah, it's disheartening to say the least.
This was during a protest that we held outside of a
Denny's franchise association conference.
And these franchisees have a lot of sway.
About 97% of Denny's restaurants are owned
by franchisers, and some of these franchisees
are on the supply chain committee where purchasing decisions
are made for the entire company. So
instead of Denny's franchisees taking this opportunity to address the
pressing issue of animal abuse in their supply
chain, we were met with glares and this
dismissive gesture. So it was really
unfortunate to seeIt's not only a slap in the
face to the animals, but also for Denny's
stakeholders and the loyal customers who have been calling for this
change.
Yeah, I think the benefit lies in the potential to create
widespread change for animals by targeting a major retailer like
Aldi. A commitment from them would not only improve the lives of
countless animals in their supply chains, but it would also help push the
industry away from the use of cages.
And yes, it comes with many challenges.
Aldi is a huge global company.
They're a private company, and there are
less pressure points for us to take with a company like
Aldi. And we've had a hard time finding opportunities to target the
decision-makers who live in Germany and Austria.
But
collaborating with our German colleagues has been really rewarding, and we get
to learn from each other, and we find strength in each other, and
working together on a campaign unifies our impact, and it really
demonstrates the global nature of our cause and the power
of collective advocacy.
Yeah.
A commitment from Aldi or Denny's
would send a powerful message to the entire industry,
influencing suppliers and encouraging other companies to follow
suit. I think it's a crucial step towards
establishing more humane practices and aligning the food
sector with the growing demand for increased
protections for animals.
Yeah. Each commitment that we achieve from a company helps to
build momentum and set a precedent.
By eliminating the cruelest practices for animals one by
one, we're helping to create a new standard for how animals
are viewed and how they're treated.
And companies are realizing that prioritizing animal
welfare is not only the moral thing to do, but also is good for
business in the long run.
While we're pushing for these corporations to make changes, we're also
supporting legal initiatives and laws like Proposition
12 in California that bans extreme confinement.
Now, there are 11 states in the US that have banned the use of gestation
crates, and these animal welfare commitments made by companies,
especially major players like Denny's and Aldi,
really help to supplement these efforts and
push the industry in the right direction.
So
over time, these incremental changes can accumulate
and help foster a shift in the industry that leads to lasting
improvement for animals.
Yeah,
I definitely think they're interconnected.
Both are approaches to a larger movement towards a
more compassionate and sustainable food system.
Through our corporate policies, we can move the industry away from cruel
practices like the use of cages,
and the shift to plant-based foods aligns with reducing overall animal
suffering,
as well as environmental impact.
We've even seen that when companies adopt higher standards for
animals, it can often lead the company to reevaluate what they offer on their
menus. Sometimes this means adding more plant-based
options or even swapping out some animal products
altogether, like we saw with a company called Just Salad a few
years ago, who started using Beyond Meat in place of
beef,
and that was announced the very same month that they adopted the Better Chicken
Commitment. So
yeah, I think these two strong approaches to a kinder world for animals
definitely go hand in hand.
Yeah, I think it's a great time to
look back on the incredible journey that we've undertaken this
past year, the lives that we've impacted, the positive
changes we've been able to make and contribute to.
From our work to help mother pigs, to shining a
light on horse slaughter, changing laws, and
even teaching chefs in Mexico how to create delicious
plant-based meals. It's been really another year of
hope for animals,
and it's a good reminder for us to look back on our achievements and celebrate the
progress,
but also recognize how far we still have to go.
For me, it's really a moment to reflect on our journey
and really celebrate that collective impact that we've made together.
There are so many great
new vegan products coming out all the time.
But I think it would have to be something Tex-Mex since that's what I grew
up eating. So
one of my go-to staples is jackfruit,
and I love to incorporate it in different ways.
But my favorite is doing something kind of Mexican,
Tex-Mex style. So
I like to shred it up and put a good amount of seasoning on it,
and either make something like a torta, or make some shredded
jackfruit tacos, is one of my specialties.
Yeah, well, they are really the backbone of our work.
Donors and supporters enable us to conduct impactful
campaigns, engage with corporations, and push for
a meaningful change.
Their generosity really fuels our work and it enables
us to make strategic decisions and really amplify the
impact that we can make for animals.
So their commitment really empowers us to hold companies
accountable and create meaningful change for animals on a global
scale.
They really make our work to end animal cruelty possible.