Despite a plea from Frances Cheng, a science adviser to the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) organization, Ford Motor Co. shareholders overwhelmingly voted Thursday to defeat a proposal that would have requested the automaker issue an annual report to shareholders detailing its animal testing processes.
Ford Chair Bill Ford reported that the PETA measure failed by 95%, according to preliminary vote totals received at the end of the annual virtual shareholders meeting.
The Dearborn automaker has been the focus of attention and criticism from PETA since 2021, after the activist organization discovered the automaker funded an academic study that used pigs to do crash impact analysis years earlier.
The 19-page study, published in 2018 by Wayne State University in Detroit, involved biomedical and auto safety engineers who used 27 pigs to better understand potential crash impact on small children. Data was then compared with previous, similar studies in the context of exploring orthopedic trauma and safety protocols. References in the report indicate the pigs had been euthanized before the testing began.
“The narrow scope of this research — funded nearly a decade ago and completed in 2014 — was necessarily part of developing enhanced modeling for test dummies and, in turn, improved safety of children in side-impact collisions,” company spokesperson Ian Thibodeau told the Free Press in 2021. “Ford encourages the use of non-animal alternatives for all testing whenever and wherever possible.”
Researchers in the study criticized by PETA specifically note that data used to develop crash test dummies for child safety is difficult to obtain. While various tests use human cadavers left to science, no one uses child cadavers. So engineering safety for children in vehicles is challenging.
Pressure campaign
PETA claims that Ford needs to take a strong public position on animal testing.
After the shareholders meeting, Ford spokesman T.R. Reid noted to the Free Press that shareholders did not vote on animal testing but, rather, additional reporting on the subject. Reid said company policy is not to voluntarily engage in animal testing.
“Ford has a well-established position on the underlying topic, which we’ve discussed with you before: We don’t use animals for safety testing or ask or fund others to do so — and we won’t unless it’s required by law or there isn’t an acceptable alternative for critical safety research,” he said. “On the specific proposal, we don’t believe more reporting would provide meaningful insight or benefit. The company explained all of this in our proxy statement to shareholders.”
Where GM, Stellantis stand
Cheng, in trying to make a case to shareholders on behalf of PETA, highlighted positions taken by Ford’s rivals: “Stellantis does not engage in any research using animals” and “GM does not conduct or commission the use of animals in tests for research purposes or in the development of our vehicles, either directly or indirectly and GM does not fund such tests.”
Jodi Tinson, Stellantis spokeswoman, confirmed to the Free Press that the automaker provided the statement to PETA in March. She added, “We also pointed PETA to our Responsible Purchasing Guidelines, which includes protection of animal welfare, on pages 274 and 275 of our 2021 Corporate Social Responsibility Report (now on pages 418 and 419 of the 2022 Corporate Social Responsibility Report).
David Barnas, GM spokesman, confirmed to the Free Press that the automaker provided the statement to PETA earlier this week. The animal rights organization called the GM response a “victory” on Thursday and planned to post it on the PETA website, PETA spokeswoman Tasgola Bruner told the Free Press.
Barnas noted, “It is not a new policy — we provided the statement below to PETA this week clarifying our existing policy.”
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Contact Phoebe Wall Howard: 313-618-1034 or phoward@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @phoebesaid.