John,

International development banks are funding disastrous factory farming -- poisoning our planet and leaving corporations in charge of our food.

Nitrogen pollution from U.S. mega-farms has already created gigantic 'dead zones' in the Gulf of Mexico, and it's happening in Europe too. Now development banks are investing hundreds of millions into the industry to build more factory farms around the world.

But a new global campaign to end funding of industrial animal agriculture is ramping up, and helped persuade the Inter-American Development Bank to drop a $200 million beef industry loan. Now it's time to target the World Bank -- the biggest and most influential development bank of them all. 

Tell the World Bank: stop funding industrial animal agriculture

The industrial food system is the leading cause of biodiversity loss via deforestation and synthetic pesticides and fertilizers for animal feed crops. That's not "development" -- it's a DISASTER.

While many of us try to reduce our meat consumption for climate reasons and animal welfare, our governments indirectly fund the global expansion of monstrous factory farms. According to research by World Animal Protection, leading development banks, including the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, European Investment Bank, IDB Invest, and the International Finance Corporation (IFC, World Bank Group), invested $4.6B in the sector between 2010 and 2021.

But we're not starting from zero: World Bank shareholders voted in October 2023 to update the Bank's mission statement to explicitly include a commitment to addressing climate change, stating it will work “to create a world free of poverty on a liveable planet.” 

Now it's time to push the Bank further -- to make the World Bank's actions match its words.

Tell the World Bank: stop funding industrial animal agriculture

Activists from around the world, including Mexican Indigenous-Ngiwa defender Xananine Ramirez protested the World Bank's Spring Meeting earlier this month in Washington DC. Media coverage of the impact of factory farming and the links to public development banks is increasing. Let's all join in and push the World Bank to change before it's too late!