TB: NFU Need Watchdog Like a Hole in the Head
UK - A series of adverts for the NFU, running with the phrase 'she needed indecision on TB like she needed a hole in the head', have been branded ‘misleading’ by the UK’s advertising watchdog.
11 February 2009
1 minute read
The adverts, published last year ahead of an NFU protest at Defra’s decision not to sanction a cull were investigated following complaints from the Badger Trust and the Vegetarians International Voice for Animals (Viva!), writes Jack Davies for Farmers Guardian.
According to the news report, The Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) upheld the complaint on the grounds that the advert’s claim that the spread of bTB was caused solely by badgers was ‘misleading’.
Referencing former Defra chief scientist Sir David King and the ISG report’s conclusions that the spread of bTB was not caused entirely by badgers, the ASA said the NFU was wrong to make the claim, report Farmers Guardian.
In its judgment the ASA said: “Because the ad stated that the number of cattle lost to bTB in 2008 would be closer to 40,000 unless action was taken 'to eradicate TB from infected badgers', we considered it implied the spread of bTB was solely caused by the badger.
“Because that view was not supported by either Sir David King's report or the ISGs report we concluded the ad was misleading.”
TheCattleSite News Desk
