Community
Print
An advert raising awareness of the dairy industry has been banned in the UK over claims it could cause “unjustified distress.”
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled that the ad, created by animal rights organization Viva!, was “irresponsible” and likely to cause “serious and widespread offence.” According to Viva!, this decision contradicted the ASA’s own investigations team, whose draft advice reportedly found no case to answer.
Read more: New Investigation Warns Of Factory Farming’s ‘Silent Takeover’ In UK Dairy
The advert – titled “Dairy is Scary” – depicts a human mother tucking her newborn baby into bed. Moments after she switches off the light, a bogeyman-like figure enters the room and steals the baby, and the mother desperately asks for the baby back. The bogeyman replies: “You can’t keep your baby because we want your milk.” The scene then shifts, showing real-life footage from a dairy farm where a calf is separated from their mother before being killed. This is standard practice in the dairy industry, as calves are taken away so that humans can take the milk intended for them.
“We strongly reject the ASA’s decision,” said Viva! founder Juliet Gellatley. “It is an entirely subjective judgement and ignores both its own investigators and the experts in cinema advertising.”
ASA complaints
The advert was shown in cinemas across the UK and was seen by more than 3.5 million people. It received just 25 complaints – roughly 0.0025 percent of viewers. One of the complaints came from The Dairy Council of Northern Ireland.
Viva! said it worked closely with the Cinema Advertising Association (CAA) – the UK’s regulatory body for cinema advertising – to produce the ad, and it was cleared for screenings of movies rated 15 and above. The advert was primarily shown before horror and sci-fi films.
The ASA acknowledged that viewers would understand that the advert aimed to raise awareness of animal welfare, but went on to claim that it would likely be seen as insensitive to people who have experienced child loss and fertility issues.
Read more: More Than Half Of Brits Unaware Cows Must Be Impregnated To Produce Milk, Survey Finds
“Although the ad did not depict the baby being harmed, and it was not shown being physically removed, we considered that its disappearance was likely to be seen as shocking and unsettling,” a spokesperson said, as per the Independent.
“We further considered that the statement ‘You can’t keep your baby’, in combination with the sudden disappearance of the baby, was likely to be particularly upsetting for viewers with experience of child loss or fertility issues, in particular because the parallel with dairy industry practices was revealed only in the latter half of the ad.
“We considered that the message of the ad did not justify the distress likely to be caused by the approach, in particular to vulnerable audiences.
“For those reasons, we concluded that the ad was irresponsible and likely to cause unjustified distress and serious and widespread offence.”
In response, Gellatley acknowledged that the ad tackled a “deeply sensitive topic,” but emphasized that care had been taken to ensure the scene was symbolic and “a fantasy rather than literal.”
“The aim was to shine a light on animal suffering in a way that connects emotionally – not to trivialise human grief,” she continued.
Read more: Investigation Finds Dead Cows ‘Eaten To The Bone’ At Red Tractor Dairy Farm
