ASA dismisses animal rights complaints about Red Tractor advert
Animal rights campaigners Viva! claimed the advert was misleading as the scheme ‘did not guarantee animal welfare’
Alex Black
Complaints against two recent Red Tractor adverts by animal rights campaigners have been dismissed by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).
The adverts, shown in September, received complaints from Viva! and 28 others challenged whether the ads were misleading as they believed the scheme ‘did not guarantee animal welfare’.
But Assured Food Standards (AFS) highlighted produce claiming to be Red Tractor could be traced from farms to pack and every stage of the supply chain was required to be certified.
It added its standards were independently checked regularly by experts and the agreement farmers and food producers signed gave access to the farm and business anytime unannounced.
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AFS also gave examples of how Red Tractor standards were higher than UK and EU legislation such as prohibiting electric goads and a lower stocking density of chicken houses.
The adverts also showed images ‘representative of the conditions under which they would be kept’ such as cows in pens and chickens in indoor housing.
ASA concluded the adverts were not misleading, acknowledging ‘standards had been put in place to protect the safety of the Red Tractor scheme’s produce, that those standards went beyond those required for the farming of livestock and a regime of inspection of adherence to those standards was in place’.
Red Tractor had previously hailed the ads as a success, with the number of shoppers who said the logo would make them choose Red Tractor produce over a cheaper alternative jumping.
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