Animal Equality

ANIMAL EQUALITY IS AN INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION WORKING WITH SOCIETY, GOVERNMENTS, AND COMPANIES TO END CRUELTY TO FARMED ANIMALS.

INVESTIGATIONS:THE CORNERSTONE OF OUR ORGANIZATION IS OUR INVESTIGATIVE WORK, AND IN 2021, ANIMAL EQUALITY RELEASED 19 INVESTIGATIONS - AN EXTRAORDINARY NUMBER THAT HAS HAD A RIPPLE EFFECT ACROSS THE GLOBAL FACTORY FARMING INDUSTRY. ANIMAL EQUALITY SENT INVESTIGATORS INTO SOME OF THE MOST SECRETIVE FACILITIES IN THE WORLD, EXPOSING THE IMMENSE SUFFERING AND CRUELTY THAT IS HAPPENING AT SLAUGHTERHOUSES AND ON FARMS THAT RAISE ANIMALS FOR FOOD. IN 2021, ANIMAL EQUALITY CONDUCTED AN INVESTIGATION AT A US HATCHERY, EXPOSING SERIOUS VIOLATIONS OF CALIFORNIA'S ANIMAL CRUELTY LAWS. IN ABERDEENSHIRE, SCOTLAND, ANIMAL EQUALITY RELEASED AN INVESTIGATION INTO A PIG FARM REVEALING NUMEROUS INSTANCES OF CRUELTY AND SUFFERING. WHILE IN MEXICO, ANIMAL EQUALITY RELEASED AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE CATASTROPHIC ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES OF INDUSTRIAL ANIMAL AGRICULTURE.

CORPORATE OUTREACH:IN 2021, ANIMAL EQUALITY'S CORPORATE OUTREACH TEAM WORKED EXTENSIVELY BEHIND THE SCENES TO HELP IMPLEMENT THE MOST PROGRESSIVE ANIMAL WELFARE LAWS EVER SEEN IN THE UNITED STATES, IMPACTING 23 MILLION ANIMALS. WORLDWIDE, ANIMAL EQUALITY CONVINCED 31 COMPANIES TO ADOPT ANIMAL PROTECTION POLICIES TO REDUCE THE SUFFERING OF AN ADDITIONAL 15.5 MILLION HENS USED FOR EGGS AND 14.5 MILLION CHICKENS USED FOR MEAT EACH YEAR. THESE SUCCESSES WERE MADE POSSIBLE BY 174,000 ENGAGED VOLUNTEERS - DEDICATED ANIMAL ADVOCATES FROM ACROSS THE GLOBE. AFTER NEARLY TWO YEARS OF CAMPAIGNING THE WORLD'S LARGEST RESTAURANT FRANCHISE, SUBWAY, HAS PLEDGED TO IMPROVE CHICKEN WELFARE IN ITS SUPPLY CHAINS. 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 THESE LOCATIONS WILL TRANSITION BY 2026, WITH A GLOBAL TARGET OF COMPLETION BY 2030. YUM! BRANDS ALSO AGREED TO PROVIDE ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORTING TO ENSURE TRANSPARENCY.

LEGAL ADVOCACY:ACROSS THE WORLD, ANIMAL EQUALITY'S LEGAL ADVOCACY TEAMS ARE WORKING WITH LOCAL, STATE, AND NATIONAL GOVERNMENTS TO STRENGTHEN CURRENT LAWS AND PASS NEW ONES THAT WILL IMPACT THE LIVES OF MILLIONS OF ANIMALS. ANIMAL EQUALITY WAS ABLE TO EXPAND ANIMAL PROTECTIONS ACROSS THE GLOBE IN 2021. ANIMAL EQUALITY'S LEGAL ADVOCACY ACHIEVEMENTS INCLUDE UTAH BECOMING THE EIGHTH STATE TO BAN CAGES IN THE EGG INDUSTRY. THE BILL WILL GO INTO EFFECT STARTING JANUARY 1, 2025, SPARING FIVE MILLION HENS ANNUALLY FROM LIFE IN A CAGE. IN RESPONSE TO ANIMAL EQUALITY'S LAWSUIT, CHAMPION PETFOODS CORRECTED "WILD CAUGHT" MARKETING CLAIMS ON ITS WEBSITE AND AGREED TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL TRANSPARENCY REGARDING ITS FISH SOURCING PRACTICES. IN LATIN AMERICA, ANIMAL EQUALITY PRESENTED AN INITIATIVE BEFORE THE CONGRESS OF HIDALGO IN MEXICO TO PUNISH THE OPERATION OF UNREGULATED SLAUGHTERHOUSES, AS WELL AS THOSE WHO REFUSE STUNNING ANIMALS PRIOR TO SLAUGHTER. ADDITIONALLY, IN A HISTORIC MOVE DRIVEN BY THE END THE CAGE AGE CAMPAIGN, THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION VOTED TO PHASE OUT CAGES FOR FARMED ANIMALS ACROSS THE EUROPEAN UNION, WITH THE AIM BANNING THEM COMPLETELY BY 2027. ONCE IN PLACE, THIS COMMITMENT WILL AFFECT AROUND 300 MILLION ANIMALS EVERY YEAR. IN ITALY, FOLLOWING THE LAUNCH OF ANIMAL EQUALITY'S CAMPAIGN TO STOP THE MASS KILLING OF MALE CHICKS IN THE EGG INDUSTRY, THE GOVERNMENT PASSED AN AMENDMENT BANNING THE PRACTICE. ANIMAL EQUALITY'S WORK WAS SO INFLUENTIAL THAT IT'S MENTIONED IN THE AMENDMENT ITSELF. THIS IS A HISTORIC TURNING POINT THAT WILL IMPACT 40 MILLION CHICKS EACH YEAR.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT