Animal Equality in Mexico: 11 Years of Defending Animals

It’s been eleven years since our team in Mexico began taking Animal Equality to new heights with investigations, plant-based resources, and legislative breakthroughs. 

For its anniversary, join us as we reflect on the incredible journey that shaped our mission to create a more compassionate world for animals. 

Inside Mexico’s Factory Farms and Slaughterhouses

Investigations lie at the heart of Animal Equality’s work for farmed animals. By documenting factory farms and slaughterhouses, Animal Equality in Mexico has changed hearts and minds from the states of Jalisco to Veracruz.

It began with its very first investigation in 2016, which focused on caged hens trapped in Mexico’s egg industry. By the end of that same year, the team had investigated 31 slaughterhouses in seven states. 

In the coming years, Animal Equality in Mexico would cover everything from Mexico’s dairy industry to lamb slaughterhouses, cruelty on tilapia fish farms, the starvation of hens, and the abuse of pigs. In 2018, the team even paired with actor Eugenio Derbez to expose the egg industry, drawing attention to some of the most forgotten and least understood animals on the planet. 

Then in 2022, Animal Equality’s investigators shifted their focus toward animals that many of us consider companions: horses. With a two-part investigation, they documented how U.S. horses are shipped abroad and killed for food. 

Investigators captured evidence of American horses in the state of Zacatecas, awaiting their turn for slaughter. One of them was identified as Horse 5036 by a USDA sticker, as confirmed by a veterinarian on the scene. 

For the second part of the investigation, Animal Equality then headed to the state of Chiapas, where they watched the slaughter of horses in Mexico firsthand. 

The team continued 2022 with an animal transport investigation, which found workers walking on animals’ bodies, kicking them, hitting them, and leaving them to suffer from injuries caused during transportation.  

Finally, Animal Equality in Mexico began 2023 with a new focus on chickens. They released footage of workers breaking the birds’ legs while roughly forcing them into shackles, many alive and conscious at the time of death. 

With their thorough investigations across the country, Animal Equality in Mexico didn’t just reveal the darkness; it ignited a light of change. Thanks to these investigations, concerned consumers reconsidered their food choices while lawmakers sat up and took notice. 

From Factory Farms to the Mexican Constitution

Using the footage from undercover investigations, Animal Equality in Mexico set out on a mission to create long-term change beginning in 2017. Set up with enough evidence to create an airtight case, they headed to the State of Jalisco, where they introduced a legal initiative to officially criminalize animal abuse. 

Little did they know that Marco Antonio Regil–host of the Spanish versions of shows like The Price is Right and Family Feud– would later join the Mexican team to escalate their work for animals. This collaboration placed Animal Equality before the Mexican Senate. Together, we showcased photos taken inside Mexican farms and slaughterhouses to wide-eyed Senators. 

Animal Equality in Mexico spent the next few years collaborating with other animal protection groups to introduce, support, and pass groundbreaking initiatives in the states of Jalisco, Puebla, Nuevo León, Hidalgo, Veracruz, and Quintana Roo, as well as Mexico City and the municipality of Zapopan. The team would continue this nationwide tour in 2023 by launching a campaign to criminalize animal cruelty in the state of Chiapas, the only state which has yet to do so. 

And this year, just before it celebrated its eleventh anniversary, Animal Equality in Mexico reached new heights. The signatures of 100,000 Mexican citizens were delivered to the Congress of the Union in support of Animal Equality’s initiative to amend the Mexican Constitution. The amendment would grant Congress the authority to issue and uphold animal protection policies throughout the country. 

Shortly after, the Chamber of Deputies approved Animal Equality’s initiative to change the most powerful legislative document in the country. It now awaits approval by the Senate. 

Compassion Begins on Our Plates

Animal Equality in Mexico believes no campaign is complete without plant-based education. Katya Ramírez, the driving force behind the Love Veg campaign in Mexico, has been leading the plant-based revolution. 

Under her leadership, Love Veg has grown rapidly, attracting over half a million visitors since the beginning of the year. Her program offers hundreds of original recipes, many of which have been published in twelve cookbooks since 2016. Katya’s vision is to make Mexican food cruelty-free, all while keeping it affordable and delicious.

Beyond cookbooks and a successful blog, Katya reaches out to primary schools and community centers. She has even conducted plant-based cooking classes for Dietetics students at universities across the country. 

Katya has played an instrumental role in Love Veg’s expansion to other countries, including the United States. Love Veg now extends globally, inspiring people worldwide to embrace plant-based eating as the best way to protect cows, pigs, and chickens.

How You Can End Animal Cruelty

Animal Equality in Mexico has been on an incredible journey to defend animals for the past 11 years. From investigations into factory farms and slaughterhouses to legislative efforts and plant-based education, the team in Mexico has been at the forefront of creating a world where all animals are respected and protected.

But they can’t do it alone. Today, you can be the flame of compassion that sustains Animal Equality’s work. 

By becoming a monthly donor, you’ll provide stability and allow Animal Equality to plan and execute long-term campaigns. Your support will reach more people and create a lasting impact – not just in Mexico, but beyond its borders.

Will you keep Mexican advocates in the field and protect animals every day?