May 2024

Monthly Impact Report

May 2024

Monthly Impact Report

May
2024

From launching our first investigation in Chile to holding companies accountable to their animal welfare commitments, we continue to drive meaningful change for farmed animals around the world. Additionally, our influence on the Farm Bill and our prestigious environmental-award nomination highlight our ability to bring factory farms into pivotal policy conversations.

Sparing Male Chicks

United States

After several meetings with Mercy For Animals, new U.S. egg producer Kipster announced they would switch to in-ovo sexing. Typically, male chicks in the egg industry are killed shortly after hatching because they are of no use to the industry. In-ovo sexing avoids this killing by enabling producers to identify eggs holding male embryos and destroy the eggs before the embryos develop into sentient chicks. This practice had not been introduced in the United States, making Kipster an industry pioneer. The company’s policy will spare tens of thousands of male chicks per year from gruesome deaths.

Launching Our First Chilean Investigation

Chile

Our first investigation in Chile found hens confined in cages so small the birds could hardly move. These hens were forced to stand on hard wire 24 hours a day. Workers roughly grabbed multiple birds by their legs and carried them upside down from the cages to transport carriers, causing the birds to cry out in agony.

Some of the country’s largest media outlets, including AS.com, El Mostrador, and Cooperativa, covered the investigation.

We urge Chilean companies to end this extreme confinement by banning cages for hens.

Leading a Historic Demonstration for Shrimp

Global

On May 30, Mercy For Animals hosted one of the first major demonstrations for farmed shrimp. Over 70 volunteers and team members gathered outside a prominent Tesco location in London. The demonstration aimed to compel Tesco, the UK’s largest retailer, to ban two of the cruelest practices in its shrimp supply chain: eyestalk ablation and the use of ice slurry during slaughter.

Eyestalk ablation is the practice of cutting off the eyes of female shrimp used for breeding. By damaging a hormonal gland behind their eyes, the procedure forces female shrimp to mature faster and release more eggs. Eyestalk ablation has been shown to harm shrimp growth, reduce egg quality, and elevate mortality rates.

In ice-slurry stunning, shrimp are dumped into an ice bath meant to render them unconscious before slaughter. But the method often fails, and many shrimp are crushed to death or suffocate. We are urging Tesco to require electrical stunning, widely considered more efficient and less cruel.

These changes would have an enormous impact, as Tesco sources about five billion shrimp each year. During the demonstration, volunteers distributed nearly 1,000 flyers to passersby and called on the retailer to “leave animals’ eyes on their heads” and “stop suffocating animals.”

Holding Companies Accountable to Animal Welfare Commitments

United States, Latin America

Sprouts Farmers Market reported progress toward fulfilling their Better Chicken Commitment. The company improved in several key areas from 2022 and even published movement on its transition to slower-growth chicken breeds.

Alsea—a Latin American holding company that oversees brands including Starbucks, Domino’s, and Burger King—recently reported that 24% of the eggs served in their establishments are from cage-free hens.

For the first time, Lessing’s Food Service Management, a U.S. foodservice provider with an annual revenue of $155 million, published Better Chicken Commitment progress and a roadmap for fully meeting the commitment. This came after several rounds of outreach from Mercy For Animals to the company’s executives and university clients.

In another first, Sodexo, a multinational foodservice company that operates programs in university dining halls and other venues, published progress on welfare improvements in their chicken supply chain. The company also published a plan for meeting its commitment for U.S. operations. We continue to engage the company to improve its plan.

Influencing the Farm Bill

United States

The Farm Bill is a massive piece of U.S. legislation that governs a wide range of agriculture and food programs. It is typically renewed every five years, but its 2023 deadline has been extended. We have strongly advocated that farmed animal protection be prioritized in the bill, and two of our asks—concerning factory-farm transitions to plant-based operations and mandatory federal reporting on mass on-farm animal killings—have made it into the Senate’s Farm Bill outline.

Earning a Nomination for a Renowned Environmental Award

United States

Transfarmation™ has been named one of seven finalists for the Curt Bergfors Food Planet Prize, a prestigious global environmental award. This recognition is a tremendous honor. Five dedicated Transfarmation members, who continue to advance our mission and advocate for farmers, led the rigorous application process.

As this nomination underscores, collaborating with farmers to create a just and sustainable food system can significantly impact the world.

Making Plant-Based Milk the Default

United States

Caribou Coffee’s featured summer beverage, “Fruit Shakers,” is made with coconut milk by default. Our conversations with Caribou have been productive since last year when we helped influence their holiday drink menu to feature three drinks that were plant-based by default.

New Videos Produced This Month

Meet more incredible companies that make our impactful work possible.

The meat industry treats animals like objects.

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