Labcorp Holdings, Inc. | Report on the importation of non-human primates into the US at Labcorp

Status
8.28% votes in favour
AGM date
Previous AGM date
Proposal number
5
Resolution details
Lead filer
PETA-People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
Resolution ask
Report on or disclose
ESG theme
  • Environment
  • Social
ESG sub-theme
  • Animal welfare
Type of vote
Shareholder proposal
Filer type
Shareholder
Company HQ country
United States
Resolved clause
RESOLVED: that the Board report to shareholders annually on the species and numbers of nonhuman primates transported by the company within the U.S. and measures the company is taking to mitigate public health risks.
Supporting statement
SUPPORTING STATEMENT: Our company moves thousands of monkeys every year on U.S. highways, often over thousands of miles. Federal law requires that a veterinarian examine monkeys transported across state lines within 10 days prior to shipment. In September 2022, the U.S. Department of Agriculture cited our company for transporting monkeys from its Wisconsin facility to Envigo Global Services in Texas without proper veterinary inspections as required under the federal Animal Welfare Act.[1]

Our company’s failure to conduct timely veterinary inspections should concern all shareholders, given that on February 28, 2023, our company reported the following to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in relation to its Drug Development (DD) segment:

Animal populations may suffer diseases that can damage DD’s inventory, harm its reputation, or result in other liability.

It is important that research products be free of diseases, including infectious diseases. The presence of diseases can distort or compromise the quality of research results, cause loss of animals in DD’s inventory, result in harm to humans or outside animal populations if the disease is not contained to animals in inventory, or result in other losses. Such results could harm DD’s reputation or have an adverse effect on DD’s financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.[2]

Monkeys can carry tuberculosis, deadly diarrheal pathogens, West Nile virus, malaria, herpes B, and other diseases and infectious agents that are transmissible to humans.

The threat is significant: In January 2022, after a truck carrying 100 monkeys crashed in Pennsylvania, three of those monkeys escaped. They were shot by order of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as they posed a public health risk. Transporting monkeys across the U.S. – particularly when federal laws are broken – could harm our company’s reputation and business. It is in the company’s interest to provide its shareholders with transparency regarding the extent of its monkey transport within the U.S.

We urge our fellow shareholders to support this responsible resolution.

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