An Animal Aid advertisement claiming brutality and poor monitoring in the UK slaughterhouse industry has been banned by the advertising regulator on the grounds that some of its claims were misleading.
The animal rights’ charity’s national print advertisement, calling on readers to watch an undercover video filmed in UK slaughterhouses as part of the organisation’s campaign to have CCTV cameras stationed in the facilities, will not be allowed to be reproduced again after a complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority.
The ASA ruled last week that Animal Aid’s claims that slaughterhouses ignore the law and brutalise animals, and that the current monitoring system was not working, were misleading. Animal Aid countered that the campaign and video were based on undercover investigations of seven red meat slaughterhouses in the UK - six of which found were found to commit breaches of animal welfare legislation. But the advertising regulator ruled the charity’s evidence did not enable them to make sweeping statements regarding the practices in the industry as a whole.
The regulator also ruled that Animal Aid had misleadingly insinuated that there were not moves already afoot to improve monitoring.
But, Animal Aid won on two other issues brought up by the one complainant, with the ASA finding that Animal Aid could substantiate claims its CCTV campaign was supported by the RSPCA and Food Standards Authority and that the charity did not imply that ewes were slaughtered while their lambs were suckling them.
Animal Aid has hit back at the ruling claiming, in a statement, that the decision is a “ringing blow on behalf of slaughterhouse cruelty”.
Director of the charity Andrew Tyler said the charity had demonstrated evidence of “cruelty, incompetence and even sadistic brutality” in its videos.
“The Advertising Standards Authority, by taking the comfortable route of endorsing the status quo, has struck a ringing blow on behalf of animal cruelty. Its adjudication is irrational and immoral. Animal Aid’s slaughterhouse campaign will continue with more determination than ever,” he said.
Attached picture courtesy of Animal Aid, taken as part of slaughterhouse investigation.
