Recent research by World Animal Protection (WAP) 'Blocking a better world altogether' exposed that Rabobank pumps a lot of money into companies that are connected to the most gruesome excesses of the livestock industry. In the period 2016-2024, this amounts to at least 23.5 billion euros. According to the research, Rabobank even appears to be part of organizations that deliberately try to block sustainability legislation.

Broken chickens and mega stables

In recent years, Rabobank has lent 280 million euros to JBS, the largest meat company in the world. This year, thanks to Rabobank, 226 million euros also went to Tyson Foods, the second largest meat company. These companies cram animals together in mega stables, lock sows in narrow, metal cages and use extremely high stocking densities for broiler chickens. Serious animal welfare incidents are regularly reported, such as throwing animals.  And as if all that weren't bad enough, such companies are also major drivers of deforestation.

Greenwashing

The striking thing about this news is that there is a big difference between what Rabobank promises to do and what it actually does. The bank's policy states, among other things, that animals must have access to sufficient feed and water and must be given 'welfare-enhancing opportunities'. But the companies that Rabobank finances keep animals on a large scale in bare, low-stimulus cages and cages. Many animals suffer from chronic hunger.

We also discovered that Rabobank is among organizations that try to block sustainability legislation. For example, the bank is part of the American National Pork Producers Council, which tried to block animal welfare legislation in California. That is painful for a bank that states that it considers sustainability legislation so important.

Dirk-Jan Verdonk, director of World Animal Protection, said: "Rabobank's sustainability policy largely comes down to greenwashing. As early as 2009, Rabobank proclaimed that animal welfare was one of its five principles for achieving sustainable agriculture, but in practice billions of euros are still spent on animal suffering. This is also painful for the Dutch farmers: by financing companies that do not even remotely meet European environmental and animal welfare requirements, the bank finances the unfair competition of the Dutch farmers - often with their own money too."

Visit the WAP's Rabobank campaign page.