The Humane Society announced Friday that it has called on the Securities and Exchange Commission to investigate McDonald’s Corp. MCD, -1.99% “for deceiving shareholders and the public about its animal confinement policies.” The Humane Society is a shareholder, and previously filed a proposal on the company’s animal welfare practices. “McDonald’s has admitted-albeit very briefly in a few lines of a lengthy SEC filing-that indeed, it is not eliminating gestation crates for pregnant sows,” the Humane Society wrote in a post on its website. “The company’s proxy statement issued this month states that McDonald’s continues to let its U.S. pork suppliers confine pigs in gestation crates for as many as six weeks out of each 16-week pregnancy cycle.” The group has withdrawn the proposal, but says it will continue to try and hold the fast-food giant accountable. Carl Icahn has also called out McDonald’s for its pledge on pig gestation crates, which he understood as a commitment to eliminate gestation crate use from the supply chain all together. On its website, McDonald’s says, “Over 60% of the U.S. pork supply chain has phased out the use of gestation stalls for pregnant sows.” McDonald’s stock is down 6% for the year to date.
