Shareholders Demand That Iams Stop Violating Its Animal Welfare Research Policy

Last year, millions of Procter & Gamble (P&G) shareholders cast their vote in favor of PETA's 2004 resolution, which called on Iams to use only humane, in-home tests with dogs and cats who have been volunteered by their guardians.

Now, after uncovering clear violations of Iams' animal welfare research policy, PETA has submitted another resolution to P&G shareholders at this year's annual meeting, asking that Iams immediately stop conducting and funding experiments that violate the policy.

Iams' lax enforcement of its policy has led to dire consequences for the hundreds of dogs, cats, mice, chicks, and rabbits, who are locked away in the company's labs. If Iams claims to be a leader in the companion-animal food industry, then it ought to start acting like it and adhere to its own stated policy.

PETA's proposal, if accepted, would also require Iams/P&G to include an assessment of its success and failure in achieving the goals and objectives outlined in the proposal in its annual report.

In our speech to P&G shareholders, PETA highlighted the comments of Oklahoma State University's Dr. Charles Abramson and Dr. Timothy Bowser, who make the case for humane pet-food testing:

Humane, safe, and scientifically reliable in-home testing of commercial food and other products manufactured for pets and animals has been demonstrated through the Citizen Scientist (TM) program .... Iams and many other companies performing caged-animal tests need to adopt a new paradigm and in-home testing is one example. Many of the employees of these companies own pets and would probably respond positively to the opportunity to participate with in-home testing programs.

There is no reason why animals should be suffering and dying.

PETA became a shareholder after a former P&G employee who was opposed to animal testing willed PETA $110,000 in P&G stock.

Both P&G and Iams have long histories of harming and killing animals in tests, and Iams' pet-food experiments are indefensible. A PETA undercover investigation revealed abuses to animals inside an Iams contract laboratory, causing P&G and Iams embarrassment and a significant loss of customers.

More than 100 animal shelters across the country have stopped using and promoting Iams products in an effort to push the company to adopt more humane and scientifically valid testing practices. Likewise, animal-respecting shareholders are clamoring to create change from within Iams by voting in favor of our resolution.

Learn more about the campaign and what you can do to help animals in Iams' labs.

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