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The Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) is investigating the RSPCA’s new “For Every Kind” advertising campaign after receiving multiple complaints that the ads are misleading.
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The ASA is taking action because the RSPCA’s advertising campaign omits essential information about the charity’s endorsement of intensive animal farms. Certain “RSPCA Assured” farms have recently been highlighted in exposés for alleged breaches of animal welfare standards.
The advertisements under investigation include large billboards, online ads, and television ads bearing the slogan “Every kind of animal deserves our kindness.”
One video advertisement is currently shortlisted at the ThirdSector charity awards and features footage of free-roaming animals. It also includes an audio clip of wildlife advocate Chris Packham, who recently called RSPCA’s Assured scheme “utterly indefensible.”
‘We felt the ads should face formal investigation’
Adfree Cities, a UK-wide network of groups that challenge corporate outdoor advertising, submitted a complaint to the ASA. The network said in a statement that the RSPCA’s “misleading” ads “greenwash” its treatment of farm animals via the RSPCA Assured scheme.
Adfree Cities Co-Director Veronica Wignall told Plant Based News (PBN) that the network works to reduce the amount of advertising the nation is exposed to, particularly in public spaces – as with the RSPCA’s billboards – where people can’t avoid it.
“But we also focus on challenging specific ads that are particularly harmful or misleading,” she said. “The RSPCA’s ads join the tide of greenwash advertising which deflects attention away from less palatable activities – in this case, keeping millions of animals in close confinement on farms the RSPCA has officially certified as ‘more humane.’
“We felt the ads should face formal investigation, especially given the trust placed in the RSPCA as the nation’s foremost charity to protect animals from harm.”
Read more: Majority Of The UK’s Dairy Farms Found Breaking Pollution Rules
RSPCA ads risk making meat and dairy appear animal-friendly
According to the RSPCA itself, Assured farms must comply with “stringent higher welfare standards,” and are “assessed and monitored regularly.” However, multiple exposés have revealed widespread cruelty and suffering on RSPCA Assured farms.
Footage shot by Animal Justice Project at an RSPCA Assured free-range and “high-welfare” chicken farm in Suffolk earlier this year shows abuse, neglect, chronic health issues, overcrowding, and the overall “brutal” handling of the birds by workers. Animal Rising also visited 45 farms it said were RSPCA Assured, and documented 280 breaches of legal standards and 94 breaches of codes of practice for animal welfare.
Every year, investigation after investigation highlights the cruelty of animal farming by depicting cruelty and death. But while most Britons oppose factory farming, most are unaware of how widespread cruel practices are.
Adfree Cities noted that, in addition to misrepresenting the RSPCA’s mission and activities, the new advertisements could make consumers feel that the Assured label means purchasing meat, dairy, eggs, or any animal products, can ever be an animal-friendly choice.
“The RSPCA’s ad campaign follows a trend in advertising that broadly hides the conditions faced by farm animals,” added Wignall. “In a similar way, ads for meat and dairy products rarely show an animal at all, distancing us from the origins of the food we eat.”
“We’re calling for an end to advertising for factory-farmed food as a starting point, to help us restructure our food system in a way that is fairer to farmers, consumers, and animals alike,” she continued. “We need to end misleading and harmful advertising to make space for meaningful change, including in our food system.”
The ASA has said that it received three official complaints and is currently investigating. In a statement to Plant Based News, the RSPCA said: “We are aware of this complaint and are very happy to work with the ASA, and provide any information they need. We are fully committed to complying with the CAP Code at all times and we are confident that the complaint lodged by AdFree Cities will not be upheld.
“Our For Every Kind campaign is a bold all-encompassing rallying cry, for people to rethink their relationships with animals and treat them with kindness and respect. If the lives of millions of animals are going to change, the way people think about them and act towards them needs to change too. This starts with everyone being better educated about animal welfare and the rich, emotional lives animals can experience. The magnitude of the crisis for animal welfare is such that we need everyone, not just the traditional animal advocates, to be inspired to create a better world for every animal.
“Part of our vital work is advocating for farm animals and continually driving up standards to improve their welfare. We know that there is still much more to be done and progress isn’t always easy but we’re determined to keep helping improve the lives of farm animals now and in the future.”
