Mercy for Animals facts for kids
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Mercy For Animals billboard in Las Vegas, Nevada
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| Abbreviation | MFA |
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| Formation | 1999 |
| Type | Non-profit |
| Purpose | Animal rights, animal welfare |
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Region served
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United States, Canada, Brazil, Latin America, India, Asia |
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President
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Leah Garcés |
Mercy For Animals (MFA) is an international non-profit group. It works to protect animals raised for food. Milo Runkle started MFA in 1999. The group's main goal is to stop cruelty to farm animals. They also want to help people choose more compassionate food options and support better rules for animal welfare.
Contents
How Mercy For Animals Started
Early Days and First Investigations (1999-2007)
Milo Runkle founded MFA after a difficult experience in high school. His biology teacher brought dead piglets to class for dissection. One piglet was still alive. A student then harmed the piglet in a cruel way. A judge later said this action was legal because it was "standard agricultural practice."
Milo felt this was very unfair. This event inspired him to create an organization. Its mission was to protect farm animals from harm.
MFA began its first investigations in 2001. Investigators secretly visited two egg farms in Ohio several times. They filmed what they saw. They also gave water to thirsty hens and rescued other suffering birds.
These actions, called "open rescues," made big news across the state. Ohio's largest TV news station showed the footage. They called it "The Video the Egg Industry Doesn't Want You to See."
In 2002, MFA investigators filmed inside another Ohio farm. The video showed thousands of hens in small cages. Some birds were stuck in the cage wire and could not get food or water. Dead animals were also seen near living birds still laying eggs. MFA used this video to show that a new "Animal Care Certified" label was misleading. This label claimed hens were raised humanely.
MFA asked officials to investigate these farms. They hoped charges would be filed, but no charges were brought.
Undercover Work and New Laws (2008-2010)
Today, MFA investigators often get jobs at farms and slaughterhouses. This allows them to secretly record conditions. Being inside these places for a long time helps them document repeated abuse. This evidence can lead to legal action against cruelty. It can also make companies change their animal welfare rules. Sometimes, it even leads to new laws.
In 2008, animal rights supporters worked together in California. They wanted to pass Proposition 2. This state law would give egg-laying hens, pregnant pigs, and veal calves more space. They would have enough room to lie down, stand up, stretch, and turn around. MFA released videos from two large California egg farms just before the vote. Proposition 2 passed. It is still seen as one of the most important laws for farm animal protection in the U.S.
A year later, MFA investigators in Maine accused workers at an egg farm of harming birds. MFA gave their video to the state police. The police then raided the farm. The farm owner admitted guilt to several charges of animal cruelty. He agreed to pay over $130,000 in fines. This was the largest fine ever against a U.S. factory farm at that time.
In 2010, MFA and other groups started a campaign in Ohio. They wanted to pass laws to protect farm animals. The Ohio Farm Bureau first refused to meet with them. After MFA released its investigation, the Farm Bureau agreed to meet. They then made changes to improve farm animal welfare.
Expanding to Canada and Big Company Changes (2011-2013)
After making progress in the U.S., MFA expanded to Canada in 2012. MFA's first look into the Canadian pork industry led to big changes. Canada's eight largest grocery stores decided to stop using "gestation crates." These are very small cages for pregnant pigs. An MFA investigator showed workers harming pigs. Pregnant pigs were kept in crates so small they could not turn around. Canada's popular W5 news show aired this video across the country.
Canada's pork industry also promised to stop using gestation crates nationwide.
MFA filmed at two farms in Alberta that supplied Burnbrae Farms. Burnbrae Farms was an egg supplier for McDonald's Canada. This video led nearly 120,000 Canadians to ask McDonald's to ban cages for egg-laying hens. After the video and public outcry, McDonald's announced a new policy. They would stop using eggs from caged hens in North America. Almost the entire Canadian food industry followed this example.
In the U.S., MFA investigated turkey farms that supplied Butterball. News channels like CNN and NBC reported on these investigations. They showed workers violently stomping on turkeys. Workers also dragged birds by their wings and necks. They slammed them into transport crates. Many birds were left to suffer from injuries and infections. Police in North Carolina raided one farm after seeing hidden-camera video. Five Butterball employees were arrested. They faced charges for cruelty to animals. This led to the first serious legal action for cruelty to factory-farmed poultry in U.S. history.
The next year, MFA investigated a dairy farm in Wisconsin. This farm supplied Nestlé's DiGiorno Pizza brand. Undercover video showed cows being beaten and dragged by tractors. After the video got a lot of media attention, Nestlé met with MFA. Nestlé is the world's largest food company. They then put in place a major animal welfare policy.
Growing Globally and New Ideas (2014-2016)
After working with Nestlé, MFA focused on other food companies. These included Leprino Foods, Great Lakes Cheese, and Saputo. MFA investigations found abuse in their supply chains. After this, these companies also released their own animal welfare policies.
MFA investigated Walmart's pork suppliers six times. After three years of campaigning, Walmart made a big announcement in May 2015. They banned gestation crates, battery cages, and veal crates from their U.S. supply chains. Celebrities like Bob Barker and Ryan Gosling also helped put pressure on Walmart.
Top U.S. grocery stores like Publix, Kroger, and Albertsons also promised to ban small cages for hens. This happened after MFA showed them videos or talked with them. The Retail Council of Canada made a similar promise.
In early 2016, MFA started The Good Food Institute. This group works to create a "healthy, humane, and sustainable food supply." The Good Food Institute helps companies. It promotes plant-based foods. It also supports new businesses and teaches others about plant-based and clean meat options.
Next, Perdue, a very large chicken producer, made an important promise. They committed to improving animal welfare. This happened after MFA investigated two farms that supplied Perdue. This new policy will reduce suffering for nearly 680 million birds each year.
In the same year, MFA also started working in Brazil, Mexico, India, and Asia.
An MFA investigator filmed inside nine government-run slaughterhouses in Mexico. This investigation got attention from major Mexican news outlets.
Mexican actor Eugenio Derbez narrated an MFA video about the cruelty.
Back in the U.S., MFA helped pass a law in Massachusetts. It was called the Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act. This law, passed in 2016, bans some of the cruelest farming practices. It also stops the sale of eggs, pork, and veal from animals raised in very small spaces.
Recent Efforts and Innovations (2017-Present)
After the 2016 investigations, MFA worked with Mexican lawmakers. They wanted to pass a federal law to stop the worst slaughter methods shown in the video. The bill passed through two committees and the main part of Mexico's congress. It had almost full support.
MFA has also done many investigations inside factory farms in Brazil.
In 2018, MFA staff in Brazil helped get a big promise from Carrefour. Carrefour is the largest supermarket in Brazil. They agreed to stop using small cages for hens. After MFA campaigns or talks, many other big brands in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Brazil made similar promises. These include Burger King, General Mills, and Jack in the Box.
In recent years, MFA has also started using drones for investigations. MFA drones have shown what happens at 35 factory farms. Videos from these investigations have been watched over 22 million times.
A 2018 secret investigation into California's driftnet fishing industry helped change federal laws. These laws aim to ban driftnets.
A 2020 investigation looked at the live export industry in Brazil. It showed animals kept on large ships in cramped conditions for weeks. They often lay in their own waste. When they arrived in the Middle East, cranes were used to move sick or hurt animals roughly by their limbs.
See also
- List of animal rights groups
