The Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) and Dairy Council for Northern Ireland (DCNI) have welcomed the ruling to uphold complaints against a cinema advertisement which they say “unfairly and inaccurately targeted the dairy industry”.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has concluded that an advert by vegan charity Viva! was “irresponsible and likely to cause unjustified distress and serious and widespread offence”.
The ASA said the ad “must not appear again in the form complained about”.
“We told Viva! to ensure that future ads were prepared responsibly and did not contain content that was likely to cause serious or widespread offence or unjustified distress to viewers,” the ASA said.
According to the ASA, it received 25 complaints about the ad, which was seen in cinemas in March and April of this year.
The UFU and DCNI each lodged formal complaints regarding the Viva! ad.
‘Harmful to the dairy sector’
UFU deputy president John McLenaghan, said: “This advert from Viva! was being shown across cinemas in Northern Ireland and prompted numerous complaints to us from our members.
“The advert’s message was not only misleading and inaccurate, but also harmful to the dairy sector we represent.
“Northern Ireland farmers work to the highest animal welfare standards, and the care they have for their livestock is second to none.
“It was extremely distressing for our members to witness this advert. They worried excessively about the false narrative it was portraying to members of the public and how it would be interpreted.
“Therefore, we are pleased that the ASA has acted decisively, recognising the validity of the complaints.”
High welfare standards
Ian Stevenson, chief executive of DCNI, said that dairy farmers were “rightly annoyed and indeed angered by this campaign”.
“The high welfare standards consistently achieved by dairy farmers along with the care they show, ensures every calf born on a Northern Ireland dairy farm is highly valued and reared accordingly,” Stevenson said.
“This advert from Viva! did nothing to tell the real story of what really happens on dairy farms here. Therefore, we join UFU in welcoming the ASA’s ruling.”
Both the DCNI and the UFU believe this ruling “sets an important precedent for future campaigns and underscores the need for accuracy and responsibility in advertising”.
The ASA ruling outlined that VIVA! said the ad “aimed to raise awareness of standard practices in the dairy industry, particularly the removal of calves from their mothers shortly after birth”.
“Viva! said the ad used metaphor and cinematic techniques, rather than graphic imagery, to draw a symbolic comparison between human and animal separation.”
