In the past year, the impacts of intensive agriculture on farm animals, wildlife and natural habitats have all made headlines, and COVID-19 has focused attention on how our treatment of animals affects our own wellbeing.
Meanwhile – despite the huge personal pressures and restrictions caused by the pandemic – activists, donors and volunteers around the world have come together, in powerful new ways, to:
End farming practices that cause animals pain and suffering
Change consumer attitudes about the food they choose
Transform the food system for a humane, sustainable future
In the face of unprecedented challenges, we have united and made major progress against factory farming – the world's biggest cause of animal cruelty.
Compassion supporters have already improved the lives of millions of farmed animals. But there is still so much more to do. Help us secure a better food future for animals, people, and the planet:
For the sake of animals, people, and our planet, global action is needed to end factory farming and reduce overall meat consumption in favor of regenerative agriculture.
In the past year, we reached national and international leaders through UN summits and political forums, and conferences in the EU, US, Africa and China. As a result, several countries have expressed interest in supporting a Global Agreement to end factory farming.
In collaboration with other animal protection organizations, we launched the Farm Animal Minimum Standards Initiative. This powerful new tool guides the investment decisions of financial institutions, in turn influencing companies to commit to meaningful animal welfare improvements.
A unique partnership with the United Nations Environment Program was formed to identify changes to agriculture and food systems that would reverse their serious, negative impacts on global biodiversity.
WHAT NEXT?
With your support, we will strengthen our relationships with United Nations bodies and publish our report with the UN Environment Programme on agriculture and biodiversity.
We will build on our strong response to the COVID-19 pandemic, demonstrating the urgent need to transform our food system to protect animals and human health.
We will lobby influential national and international banks to stop funding cruel, destructive factory farms.
We will develop relationships with major NGOs and prepare the ground for a visionary, collaborative, global campaign to deliver a regenerative, compassionate future.
Campaign highlights – uniting for farm animals
Campaign highlights
Our European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) against caged farming closed in September 2019. 170 organizations across 28 countries secured 1,397,113 verified signatures – the largest ever ECI for animals.
Meanwhile, the Slovakian government and egg industry committed to ending caged egg farming, Michigan became the fifth US state to ban cages for hens, and we worked with the British Egg Industry Council on new barn egg standards. The British Lion Quality Mark will now go beyond EU law and prohibits the use of ‘Combi Cages’, a ‘cage-free’ system that becomes a cage at the flick of a door.
100 organizations in 36 countries took the internet by storm – and #BanLiveExports reached more than 13 million views.
In February, generous donations delivered a high-impact campaign against UK live exports across London’s stations, streets and newspapers.
We also launched a Judicial Review of live calf exports from Scotland and, following your overwhelming pressure, the Scottish Government halted this appalling trade.
Lidl became the first British retailer to test ‘method of production’ labels to help shoppers understand how chickens have been treated.
In Italy we campaigned to prevent the introduction of misleading labels – especially on Parma Ham.
Alongside leading retailer, Casino, and two NGOs, we launched France’s first welfare labeling scheme. The Association Étiquette Bien-Être Animal has now been joined by other major companies and will cover 80 million animals a year.
At our first food industry Fish Forum we launched flagship reports on fish sentience and welfare. And, at our high-profile European Parliament exhibition, MEPs called for new laws to protect fish.
We also developed an international campaign for higher animal welfare within the top five fish certification schemes. Over 400,000 emails have been sent – and four schemes are set to review their welfare standards.
Through the Alliance to Save our Antibiotics, we monitored progress towards the 2022 EU ban on the routine, preventative use of antibiotics on farms. We also campaigned for equivalent UK legislation, to help stop the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and end the misuse of vital drugs to prop-up cruel farming systems.
We will lobby MEPs to vote in favor of the End the Cage Age ECI, and step up pressure on the European Commission for legislation against cages.
We will keep pressing for bans on caged farming in individual EU nations, the UK and the US.
Building on our Scottish success, we will grow support for a ban on live exports from the EU, and hold the UK Government to account on its promise to end this trade.
We will drive forward honest labeling in France, Italy and the UK, and continue to lobby fish assurance schemes as they review their welfare policies.
We will ensure the EU ban on routine antibiotic use is not weakened or delayed.
Together, we will make sure the UK Government fulfills its pledge to recognize animal sentience in law, and defend animal welfare standards in UK trade deals.
Transforming food business
Compassion’s GOOD FARM ANIMAL WELFARE AWARDS continue to help companies move away from factory farming. The 2020 Awards saw 28 million animals set to benefit each year. They included Good Pig Production Awards for six Chinese companies and recognition for Co-Op UK for committing to end ALL caged farming in their supply chain.
After companies pledge to use cage-free eggs by 2026 or earlier, our annual EGGTRACK reports their progress. Last year, in Europe, 23 more businesses committed to go cage free and 72% of all companies reported progress. Meanwhile, 40% of US companies reported progress, up dramatically from just 27% the previous year.
We shine a spotlight on the policies and practices of food companies through the BUSINESS BENCHMARK ON FARM ANIMAL WELFARE. This partnership project is designed to show investors which big businesses are taking farm animal welfare seriously. In 2020, 30 companies moved up the ranking system - a testament to how business finance can be leveraged to impact improved welfare standards for farmed animals.
2020 saw BETTER CHICKEN COMMITMENTS from five major French retailers, huge catering companies Compass Group and Compass Group, API Restauration and KFC. These commitments will directly benefit 72 million animals every year.
Finally, a record-breaking 28 retailers were assessed on their farm animal welfare standards through our SUPERMARKET SURVEY. We met with each of these companies to provide feedback and drive improvements in the welfare of farm animals.
WHAT NEXT?
We will secure new business policies and commitments to improve the lives of at least 300 million more animals a year.
Following the publication of the first Global EggTrack report, we’ll continue to take a holistic, worldwide approach to holding companies accountable for their cage free egg commitments.
We will support moves towards cage free and higher welfare farming of hens, chickens and fish through industry forums, providing advice and sharing best practice.
Through improved animal welfare reporting, policies, and practices, we will improve the rankings of 15 or more companies via the Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare.
We will launch a unique new program to help companies reduce their use of meat, fish, and dairy products – encouraging regenerative agriculture that restores nature and biodiversity.
A global movement
In 2020, supporters took 2,256,991 actions to end farm animal cruelty, raised vital funds through sponsored activities and generously backed our appeals or made monthly donations.
This global movement also took Facebook, Twitter and Instagram by storm, and helped ensure the call to end factory farming was heard or viewed over 8 BILLION times, through TV, radio and press.
We will end factory farming
You are part of a powerful, global movement. Your compassion is transforming communities, companies and nations to take action against factory farming – for the sake of animals, people and our planet.
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42% Grants & Major Gifts
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28% Regular Giving & Donations
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24% Legacies
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6% Other
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21% Ending Factory Farming - Global action to transform the future for animals, people and the planet
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29% Legislation and Campaigns - To transform legislation and policies for farmed animals
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21% Global Food Business - Harnessing the power of the food industry to improve the lives of animals
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29% Fundraising & Investment Management - To support our work and grow the global movement against factory farming
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42% Grants & Major Gifts
■
28% Regular Giving & Donations
■
24% Legacies
■
6% Other
■
21% Ending Factory Farming - Global action to transform the future for animals, people and the planet
■
29% Legislation and Campaigns - To transform legislation and policies for farmed animals
■
21% Global Food Business - Harnessing the power of the food industry to improve the lives of animals
■
29% Fundraising & Investment Management - To support our work and grow the global movement against factory farming
THANK YOU FOR THE POWER OF YOUR COMPASSION
Our thanks to every single individual and organization who has donated or taken action to help end factory farming, and to all those who have remembered Compassion in their Will.
POWER MORE CHANGE
There's never been a more pivotal moment in the movement to end factory farming and build a more compassionate and sustainable food system. Help us secure a better food future for animals, people, and the planet:
Give them a better future
The fight against factory farming has never been more urgent. Sustain our work to end it with a monthly donation and earn a 6X match. For animals, people, and the planet!
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