Press release —
Animal Equality targets Dell Dublin over executive’s role in Kroger’s broken cage-free promise
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Kroger promised to stop selling eggs from caged hens by 2025 and has not kept that commitment. Senior Dell executive Kevin Brown sits on its board.
DUBLIN, 16 October 2026 — The global animal protection organization Animal Equality launches a campaign at Dell Technologies' offices in Cherrywood, Dublin 18, calling on the company to cut ties with Kevin Brown, Dell's Executive Vice President of Global Operations and Chief Supply Chain Officer, while he remains on the board of US supermarket giant Kroger.
In advance of the protest on Wednesday, Animal Equality representatives tried to hand-deliver a letter to Dell management. The letter, addressed to Mark Hopkins, General Manager at Dell Technologies Ireland, and the Office of the Board of Directors, asks the company to cut ties with Brown for as long as he remains on the board of a company that supports keeping hens in cages. Advocates were rejected at company doors.
“As a member of Kroger’s Board of Directors, Kevin Brown shares responsibility for overseeing the company and its failure to make meaningful progress on its cage-free commitment. His simultaneous position on Dell Technologies’ Board connects Dell to a significant animal welfare and corporate accountability issue at Kroger,” the letter says.
In 2016, Kroger pledged to sell only cage-free eggs by the end of 2025. In 2022, it weakened that commitment to 70% cage-free eggs by 2030, with no public plan to eliminate cages entirely. Brown has served on Kroger’s board since 2021.
Due to the refusal of the formal letter and establishing contact with Animal Equality, activists began a protest in front of the Dell building, displaying banners about Kevin Brown's role in Kroger's broken commitment and the suffering of millions of caged hens.
Ombretta Alessandrini, Campaigns manager at Animal Equality, said: "Kroger made a promise to the public and broke it. Kevin Brown sits on the board that made that decision, and he is one of Dell's most senior executives. We came to Dell's door today with a simple question: does Dell want to be represented by someone who shares responsibility for keeping millions of hens in cages?"
Brown also serves on Kroger’s board committee overseeing responsible sourcing. When Kroger appointed him in 2021, it highlighted his expertise in sustainable business practices.
The Dublin campaign brings Animal Equality’s Kroger campaign to Dell’s doorstep. In Cincinnati, Animal Equality holds daily protests outside Kroger’s headquarters and other demonstrations urging the company to uphold its original commitment.
Sharon Núñez, President of Animal Equality, said: "Cages are cruel. Kroger can end this by meeting with us and working with us on a plan to eliminate cages. Until it does, the people on its board, and the companies they lead, will be asked to answer for that decision, in the United States and now in Europe."
Animal Equality is calling on Dell to cut ties with Brown for as long as he remains on Kroger’s board. Members of the public can email Dell through the campaign page at animalequality.org/act/demand-accountability-from-dell/ .
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Photos of the action at Dell’s Dublin
Notes to editors
- Kroger's pledge. In 2016 Kroger pledged to go 100% cage-free by 2025; in 2022 it revised this to 70% by 2030.
- Kevin Brown. Executive Vice President of Global Operations and Chief Supply Chain Officer at Dell Technologies, with the company since 1998. Kroger board member since January 2021. Source: Kroger 2026 annual report (SEC).
- The campaign. Animal Equality has held daily protests at Kroger's headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio, and protests in cities worldwide. Campaign page: animalequality.org/act/dell/
- About Animal Equality. Animal Equality is an international animal protection organisation working to end the suffering of farmed animals. animalequality.org
Media contact
Aldo Franco, Communications Coordinator at Animal Equality [+52 3318457825] · [aldof@igualdadanimal.mx]
Photos and video of the protest: [LINK]. Spokespeople available for interview in Dublin.
Topics
Animal Equality is an international organization working with society, governments, and companies to end cruelty to farmed animals. Animal Equality works effectively for animals through investigations, corporate campaigns and legal advocacy in the United States, UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, Mexico, Brazil, and India.
