October 2023

Monthly Impact Report

October 2023

Monthly Impact Report

October
2023

Thanks to our generous supporters, October was a strong month for Mercy For Animals. We released a new drone investigation into the Wisconsin dairy industry and made significant progress with several major food companies.

Our Canada Animal Welfare Scorecard drew major media attention, and in Mexico we got a plant-based message in front of key stakeholders in the food market.

Capturing Disturbing Footage of Wisconsin Dairy Farms

United States

We flew a drone over Wisconsin dairy farms and uncovered massive pits of liquified cow feces close to residential communities. The new investigation shows that the state’s idyllic red barns have been replaced by huge sheds housing hundreds or thousands of animals. These facilities not only subject animals to miserable and cramped conditions but pose serious health hazards for nearby residents, who complain of contaminated drinking water.

Moving Companies to Meet Animal Welfare Commitments

United States, Canada, Global

Elior North America feeds more than three million people each day. After conversations with Mercy For Animals, the foodservice giant agreed to fulfill its commitment to improving welfare for chickens in its supply chain two years earlier than previously stated. The company also released an updated roadmap outlining steps toward this goal.

Dog food company Earth Animal recently published its first roadmap indicating how the company will implement its Better Chicken Commitment policy for dog food by 2026 and chews by 2027. The company moved up the original deadlines after meeting with our team.

In 2019 we persuaded CAVA, a fast-casual Mediterranean restaurant chain with about 90 locations in the United States, to source all its chicken meat from suppliers meeting Better Chicken Commitment standards. The company recently published a statement that it fully meets some of the requirements and has made progress toward others. CAVA also pledged to report progress annually.

Two other companies reported progress on their animal welfare commitments. Loblaws, one of Canada’s largest grocery stores, reported that 17% of its egg sales were cage-free eggs and 50% of the pregnant pigs in its supply chain were not confined in gestation crates. Longos, another Canadian grocery store, reported 34% progress toward selling only cage-free eggs.

Making Headlines in Canada

Canada

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation highlighted our recent Canada Animal Welfare Scorecard on its homepage with a compelling story drawing attention to Canadian companies that are falling behind on their animal welfare promises.

Bringing a Transfarmation™ Message to Our Hen House

Global

Mercy For Animals team member Tyler Whitley joined the Our Hen House podcast to talk about The Transfarmation Project®, which helps farmers transition from industrial animal agriculture operations to raising crops for human consumption. Listen to the episode to learn how we can create models of alternative economic opportunities, build solidarity with other movements, and shift societal narratives to change culture—all in the pursuit of building a just and sustainable food system.

Forging Plant-Based Collaborations

Global

Senior corporate engagement manager Mariana Issa presented to food providers for Formula 1 racing events. Her talk laid out the benefits of adding plant-based options to menus.

Gera Ortiz, one of our corporate partnerships specialists, delivered a talk on alternative proteins to members of a food-engineering program at Universidad Simón Bolívar and taught them how to make plant-based sausage.

At the start of Climate Week, an estimated 50,000–75,000 activists took to the streets of New York as part of the March to End Fossil Fuels. Mercy For Animals joined as part of a contingent aiming to bridge conversations about food systems and fossil fuels and raise awareness about the importance of an often-overlooked contributor to the climate crisis: animal agriculture.

Building a Movement

Brazil, United States, Mexico

We believe that the world’s mightiest institutions will heed the call to reform when it comes from powerful and interconnected communities. That’s why our supporters are so important.

338
Volunteer Hours Logged

Brazil: No data reported

Mexico: 276

United States: 62

41
Volunteer Actions Completed

Brazil: 30

Mexico: 5

United States: 6

38
Active Volunteer Communities

Brazil: 29

Mexico: 2

United States: 7

New Videos Produced This Month

We Visited Woodstock Farm Sanctuary to Celebrate the Spooky Season!

Breaking Drone Investigation Reveals Wisconsin Cheese’s Dirty Secret

VIEW OUR YEAR-TO-DATE PROGRESS AT MERCYFORANIMALS.ORG/IMPACT

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“What keeps me focused is to remember that we are their only hope.”

—Camilla, an undercover investigator in Brazil