Humane Society International (HSI)

(COMPANION ANIMALS) HSI has permanently closed 15 dog meat farms in South Korea since 2014 and has rescued and rehomed over 2,000 dogs from these farms. During the closure of the 15th dog meat farm, 90 dogs were rescued and although this was one of the smaller rescues HSI has done, this rescue had a large impact regarding exposure to the issue. For the first time, HSI had Korean celebrities visit a farm while it was being closed. A top Korean TV station, KBS, filmed their visits. Further, British Ambassador Smith endorsed HSI's work in South Korea and said: "We have been delighted to host a reception for Humane Society International at the Embassy, to bring attention to their work tackling the animal welfare problems of the dog meat trade. HSI's approach is commendable and clearly effective, working collaboratively with dog farmers keen to leave the trade behind them, and supporting their willing transition to alternative humane livelihoods. We are delighted to see progress being made for dogs here in Korea." (CONTINUED FROM PART III, LINE 4A) And the Victoria Derbyshire Programme on BBC Two and BBC News Channel highlighted HSI's work in South Korea and said in a statement, "popularity for dog meat in South Korea has declined in recent years, as pet ownership rises and new generations have different attitudes to eating domestic animals. Humane Society International is a charity that's been working together with dog farmers since 2014 to close their farms and find the farmed dogs new homes." Other highlights of the success in HSI's dog meat campaign in South Korea in 2019 are as follows: Authorities shut down the Gupo dog meat market, which was notoriously known for being one of the country's largest markets: 80 dogs were rescued. And Seoul's last three dog meat shops agreed to end dog slaughter on-site, following over a year of campaigning from Seoul's Mayor Park Won-soon and the South Metropolitan Government, and five years of work by HSI in the region. The capital city has declared their city is now free of dog slaughtering. HSI spayed/neutered and/or vaccinated over 153,000 dogs and cats in 2019, across Latin America, Asia, and Africa.

(FARM ANIMALS) HSI continued to lead the global movement to end the lifelong confinement of egg-laying hens in battery cages in 2019 by working with companies around the world to adopt cage-free egg procurement policies. Highlights included: In Thailand, Tesco-Lotus, one of the largest retailers in Thailand, announced a cage-free policy across their 2,000 stores by 2028. In Chile, Unifood, the largest fast-food chain in Chile, committed to going cage-free by 2025. Further, Parroquia de Verecruz, a restaurant chain with 32 locations in Mexico, committed to buying only cage-free eggs by 2025. Brazil achieved success with Walmart, the 3rd largest retailer in Brazil, as they committed to sell cage-free eggs only by 2028 in their 471 stores. And Premier Pet, one of the largest pet food companies in Brazil, committed to going cage-free. They were the first pet food company to announce such a policy in Brazil. Regarding pork in Brazil, Pamplona, who is the 5th largest pork exporter in Brazil, committed to going crate-free by 2026. (CONTINUED FROM PART III, LINE 4C) This will alleviate over 40,000 sows from intensive confinement in gestation crates. In India, The High Court of Delhi banned the establishment of battery cages throughout India and directed the Government of India to regulate the poultry industry. All were directed to uphold this decision and ensure that no new battery cages are installed in any farms or facilities. On a global front, Standard Charter, which finances companies in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, stated that they will only provide financial services to clients using cage-free production systems for livestock. This is the first time a financial institution has announced such a policy.

(ANIMAL TESTING) In Brazil, regulations governing the testing of pesticides were modified, including the abolition of a year-long poisoning test that was being performed on dogs. HSI's intervention led to the release of 36 beagle dogs that were enduring this pesticide test. This one-year dog pesticide-poisoning test has now also been abolished globally. Also globally, Avon & Estee Lauder Companies both joined HSI's #BeCrueltyFree campaign, calling for a worldwide ban on cosmetics testing on animals. And Julia Fentem, from Unilever, received the 2019 Corporate Consciousness Award for Unilever's partnership with HSI's Research & Toxicology team to end cosmetic testing on animals.