Hi Fast community!
Just announcing a recent court case involving animal rights investigations that we think might be interesting as a benchmark.
In Portugal, the organization Frente Animal has run a campaign against Jerónimo Martins, the largest food retailer in the country (under the Pingo Doce brand), and one of the largest in Europe as well (19th largest), as they also operate in Poland (Biedronka).
Using undercover footage from broiler farms that clearly linked animal cruelty to their supply chain, they were pressured to adopt a series of reforms aligned with the ECC (European Chicken Commitment).
Their immediate response was to charge us with defamation and to threaten judicial action the very next day after the campaign’s launch. They held their ground and moved forward with what has been seen as a typical SLAPP measure: a cease and desist order that demanded all campaign content be removed, and that Frente Animal pay a hefty fine if it did not comply.
This was already groundbreaking for Portugal, as it was the first time that farmed animal welfare and rights were discussed in a court of law. Moreover, footage from these farms was extensively broadcast during the public court sessions.
Eventually, with the support of an excellent attorney experienced in this area, the judge decided in favor of Frente Animal, rejecting the precautionary measure filed by Pingo Doce (Jerónimo Martins).
In the ruling, the court recognized “the veracity of the images shown and the mistreatment to which animals are subjected during intensive farming, which must be banned.” We understand this paves the way for future legal advancements.
Below we emphasize some points about what went well, what didn’t go so well, and what we’ve learned.
What went well (The Good)
* The court recognized that there is clear animal cruelty in the broiler industry as a whole, which should be banned. They acknowledged the legitimacy of the footage and what was documented.
* Frente Animal was a
