An ad for vegan campaigning charity Viva!, which focused on the UK pig sector, has been banned by the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). The ad was shown in UK cinemas in December 2017 and focused on a pig named Hope.
In the ad, a pig is featured running around a field with a voice-over stating: “All creatures can experience pleasure. She is a pig called Hope rescued by Viva!. This is her dance of joy for being outdoors for the first time.”
The footage then changed to show pigs housed indoors behind bars in a pen that appears very crowded. The voice-over then states: “It’s something most pigs will never know as 90% are factory-farmed. Set them all free. Try vegan”.
Contested
The National Pig Association in the UK, as well as seven members of the public, lodged complaints to the ASA after seeing the ad, contesting:
The ad was misleading as it showed farming methods no longer allowed in the UK.The claim that 90% of pigs are factory farmed could not be substantiated.The ad contained content that was likely to cause distress without justifiable reason. Response
In response to these claims, Viva! said that the footage shown was all taken on UK farms and it believed the ad showed accepted practice in the UK pig industry. Viva! also stated that, if anything, by its calculations, the 90% figure was underestimated.
The first two complaints that the ad was misleading and the claims could not be substantiated were upheld by the authority but the third, that it caused harm and offence, was not upheld. The ASA ordered that the ad must not appear again and Viva! was told to ensure its ads did not mislead.
Read more
Sainsbury’s to trial selling vegan 'fake meats' next to real meats
Food standards agency investigates presence of meat in 'vegan' products
An ad for vegan campaigning charity Viva!, which focused on the UK pig sector, has been banned by the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). The ad was shown in UK cinemas in December 2017 and focused on a pig named Hope.
In the ad, a pig is featured running around a field with a voice-over stating: “All creatures can experience pleasure. She is a pig called Hope rescued by Viva!. This is her dance of joy for being outdoors for the first time.”
The footage then changed to show pigs housed indoors behind bars in a pen that appears very crowded. The voice-over then states: “It’s something most pigs will never know as 90% are factory-farmed. Set them all free. Try vegan”.
Contested
The National Pig Association in the UK, as well as seven members of the public, lodged complaints to the ASA after seeing the ad, contesting:
The ad was misleading as it showed farming methods no longer allowed in the UK.The claim that 90% of pigs are factory farmed could not be substantiated.The ad contained content that was likely to cause distress without justifiable reason. Response
In response to these claims, Viva! said that the footage shown was all taken on UK farms and it believed the ad showed accepted practice in the UK pig industry. Viva! also stated that, if anything, by its calculations, the 90% figure was underestimated.
The first two complaints that the ad was misleading and the claims could not be substantiated were upheld by the authority but the third, that it caused harm and offence, was not upheld. The ASA ordered that the ad must not appear again and Viva! was told to ensure its ads did not mislead.
Read more
Sainsbury’s to trial selling vegan 'fake meats' next to real meats
Food standards agency investigates presence of meat in 'vegan' products
SHARING OPTIONS