Investor Carl Icahn is driving an initiative for stricter animal welfare policies at McDonald's. For this he wants to fill parts of the board of directors. But the shareholders overwhelmingly rejected the motion.
At their annual general meeting, McDonald's shareholders rejected the attempt by US investor Carl Icahn to tighten the fast food company's animal welfare guidelines by a large majority. According to McDonald's, only one percent of the shareholders voted for the proposal to fill two positions on the board of directors with people they trust. Billionaire Icahn is a particularly active investor, having feuded with senior executives at several companies.
Icahn launched his campaign for more animal welfare at McDonald's in February after numerous meetings with representatives of the animal welfare organization Humane Society and the fast food company. Icahn accuses the snack chain of not complying with the commitments made in 2012 when purchasing pork - McDonald's had announced at the time that by 2022 it would gradually oblige its suppliers to refrain from keeping crates. Sows are squeezed into narrow boxes for farrowing.
McDonald's announced in early May that crate status would be abolished by 2024. The corona pandemic and African swine fever are reasons why the target date of 2022 cannot be met - supply chains and pork production worldwide are disrupted.
