Dear Friends,
What does it mean to be “humane”? Humans have the capacity to treat others with compassion, but we are hardly the only species to do so. Yet we’re the only species to pretend to be humane when we’re not.
PETA is calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service to stop approving companies’ false animal welfare claims, like “humanely raised” or “raised in a stress-free environment.” There is nothing “humane” or “stress-free” about conditions on today’s factory farms. With help from millions of our supporters, we called out “humane washing,” exposed cruelty, and made historic progress for animals in 2022.
After we revealed that thousands of beagles were being abused in a Cumberland, Virginia, breeding factory that supplied laboratories, we waged a vigorous campaign. All 4,000 dogs were rescued, and the hideous prison closed. We also succeeded in our campaign to get fashion brand Burberry to end its use of exotic skins. It took international protests, pressure from activists, and a stock purchase, but we did it! And after years of pushing from PETA, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act, which provides the first-ever federal oversight of the horse racing industry, went into effect on July 1.
Actor and PETA supporter Kim Basinger kindly wrote the foreword to my book 250 Vital Things Your Cat Wants You to Know, which will help more people be thoughtful, compassionate, and effective cat caregivers. And longtime PETA friend Joaquin Phoenix provided the foreword for the updated 30th anniversary edition of Free the Animals, which he hopes to turn into a Hollywood blockbuster. It’s hard to believe that it has been 30 years since Free the Animals first came out. Our new edition reflects on our progress and will be an even greater inspiration.
To all our supporters—especially our Vanguard Society, Augustus Club, and Investigations & Rescue Fund members—thank you for playing a part in the victories on the following pages and for helping us challenge human-supremacist views that lead to disrespecting, exploiting, abusing, and slaughtering animals.
With kind regards,
Ingrid Newkirk
President
Board of Directors and Officers
Ingrid Newkirk, Secretary
Michael P. Rodman, Chair
Jeanne Roush, Treasurer
Honorary Board of Directors
Nanci Alexander
Pamela Anderson
Pinky Cole
James Cromwell
Alan Cumming
Kate del Castillo
Edie Falco
Anjelica Huston
Bill Maher
Marco Antonio Regil
Alicia Silverstone
Lily Tomlin