Company: CRL
Filing Date: 2025-04-02
Form Type: DEF 14A
Source: 0001104659-25-030908
Chunk: 108

Company: CHARLES RIVER LABORATORIES INTERNATIONAL, INC.
Filing Date: 2025-04-02
Form: DEF 14A
Chunk 108
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 River’s mission depends on our continued commitment to ethical business practices, including animal welfare. We are committed to conducting business responsibly and with integrity throughout our global organization, which includes a commitment to ethical and accountable supply chains and compliance with applicable laws. Maintaining high ethical standards allows us to meet the expectations of our clients, attract and retain employees, and deliver value to our shareholders. The Board believes that this proposal is not in shareholder interests for the following reasons: • As we committed to shareholders in response to substantially the same proposals at both the 2024 and the 2023 annual meetings, Charles River publishes an annual report to shareholders (the NHP Report) detailing the substantive measures we take to reinforce confidence that the NHPs we import are sourced in accordance with applicable laws; • The focus and content of the NHP Report is informed by substantial shareholder engagement; • The use of NHPs is fundamental to research and understanding on the prevention and treatment of emerging infectious diseases; • Charles River is committed to ensuring that our operations are compliant with relevant national and international laws and regulations related to animal transportation and welfare, including all required reporting elements; • The stewardship of the research animals in our care, including their humane care and well-being, is a core value of our Company; • The proposal requests the publication of proprietary and/or sensitive information, disclosure of which would be detrimental to shareholder interests as it would benefit competitors; • Implementation of the proposal would restrict our ability to manage our ordinary business operations and business strategies; and • Substantially the same proposal from the same proponent failed in both 2024 and 2023. Charles River publishes an annual report detailing the substantive measures we take to reinforce confidence that the NHPs we import are sourced in accordance with applicable laws. Charles River is steadfastly opposed to the importation of NHPs not sourced in accordance with applicable laws. We believe it is imperative to the biomedical research industry that it maintain the utmost 2 https://www.criver.com/products-services/research-models-services/health-reports?region=3611 81 confidence in the quality of the research models it utilizes to contribute to the discovery and development of life-saving drugs and therapies for the treatment and cure of diseases. We are committed to exerting our resources to collaborate with the U.S. government, our industry partners, and other constituencies to develop and implement additional procedures aimed to reasonably ensure the NHPs we import are sourced in accordance with applicable laws. On March 24, 2025, we published