Carl Icahn slams McDonald's over animal welfare practices in fiery letter to investors
CNN
In a scathing open letter to McDonald's shareholders, legendary investor Carl Icahn said the company's leadership was "failing" its investors and misleading the public about its animal welfare practices.
"McDonald's' Board of Directors ... is failing shareholders and stakeholders by presiding over animal welfare violations, supply chain lapses and what I perceive to be a hollow environmental, social and governance ('ESG') agenda," he wrote. "A company's reluctance to improve policies and verification methods represents a serious risk to a business, its bottom line and the world around us."
In February, McDonald's reported that Icahn had nominated two new directors to its board, saying at the time that the move "relates to a narrow issue regarding the company's pork commitment." That issue is the use of gestation crates — tiny stalls where pregnant sows are held, their movements severely restricted — in McDonald's pork supply chain.