Global Protests to Confront World Bank Group Over Factory Farm Financing During Spring Meetings

For immediate release:
April 21, 2025

Contacts:
Ashley Schaeffer Yildiz, +1 (707) 391-8208, [email protected]
Camila Perussi, +55 (11) 97311-7717, [email protected]
Compassion in World Farming Media Team: [email protected] / +44 (0) 1483 521 886

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On April 24, activists, researchers, and civil society leaders across five continents will unite in a Global Day of Action calling on the World Bank Group to stop financing factory farming—a high-risk industry fueling the climate crisis, biodiversity loss, and the next potential pandemic.

Coordinated by the Stop Financing Factory Farming (S3F) campaign, actions at World Bank and International Finance Corporation (IFC) offices, universities and local landmarks will take place in 13 cities worldwide—including Washington, D.C., New York, London, Bangkok, Bogotá, Medellín, Buenos Aires, Goma, Lagos, Rome, Mexico City, Quito and São Paulo—spotlighting the $1.4 billion the World Bank Group invested in industrial livestock operations between 2023 and 2024.

In Washington, D.C., S3F organizers will deliver a giant symbolic invoice to the World Bank global headquarters, documenting the true environmental, health, and economic costs of those investments. Rose Craigue, Lead for Stakeholder Engagement, and David Theis, World Bank Press Secretary, will accept the delivery and meet with campaign representatives and allies, including Xananine Calvillo Ramirez, S3F’s Indigenous Youth Ambassador, at 12:15 pm EDT.

The coalition will also present a public letter signed by more than 250 civil society organizations, academics and leaders, including renowned conservationist Jane Goodall, PhD, DBE, Founder – the Jane Goodall Institute & Messenger of Peace, urging the Bank to end support for factory farms and shift toward just, sustainable food systems.

“The World Bank says it wants to fight poverty and climate change—but it continues to bankroll the very industry accelerating both,” said Ashley Schaeffer Yildiz, Agriculture and Climate Finance Program Manager at Friends of the Earth U.S. “It’s time to stop funding factory farms and start investing in solutions that nourish communities without harming the planet.”

Eye-Catching Ads Target Development Leaders with Direct Message: “World Bank, Is Factory Farming Worth Risking the Next Pandemic?”

In conjunction with the action, S3F is running a high-profile advertising campaign to reach policymakers, development finance staff, and World Bank decision-makers.

• Bus shelters and mobile ads will surround the World Bank headquarters in Washington, D.C., including at Farragut West Metro Station.
  
• A special edition of the Devex Newswire—read widely by global development professionals—will feature a bold message:
  
  Stop Funding Factory Farms—Protect Global Health Now
  
  Industrial livestock production creates a breeding ground for spreading deadly viruses like bird flu, putting global health at risk. Yet, the World Bank Group continues financing these dangerous operations. We must stop funding pandemic-fueling factory farms and invest in sustainable agriculture instead. The time to act is now.

Key Panel at the Civil Society Policy Forum – April 23

S3F will host a Civil Society Policy Forum panel on April 23 at 2:30 pm EST titled:
“How Can IFC Support the Shift to Sustainable Food Systems?” This timely discussion will explore practical alternatives to industrial models and how IFC can lead the transition toward climate-smart, equitable agriculture. Find the link here to attend virtually.

Speakers include:
– Anup Jagwani, Head of Global Agribusiness, IFC
– Lizah Makombore, UVM Institute of Agroecology
– Megan Waters, FAIRR Initiative

New Report Exposes IFC’s Climate Failures in Factory Farm Financing

A new S3F report reveals the International Finance Corporation (IFC) failed to uphold its own climate standards in approximately $2 billion in loans to industrial animal agriculture from 2020 to 2025:

• 0 of 38 companies addressed physical climate risks.
• Only 13% quantified emissions reductions as required.
• Zero companies reported full Scope 1–3 emissions breakdowns or aligned with the Paris climate targets.

Learn more about the Stop Financing Factory Farming campaign at https://stopfinancingfactoryfarming.com/.

###

About Stop Financing Factory Farming (S3F): The Stop Financing Factory Campaign works in partnership with locally affected communities and organizations to shift development finance away from industrial livestock production. Campaign Steering Committee members include: the Bank Information Center, Friends of the Earth U.S., the Global Forest Coalition, International Accountability Project (Early Warning System), Sinergia Animal, and World Animal Protection.