ASA Rules in favour of ad saying ‘humane milk’ is a myth!
The ASA received seven complaints about the advert that said: “Humane milk is a myth. Don’t buy it”.
The advert refers to the injustice and cruelty of talking the calf away from their mother.
The ASA said: “We understood that Defra recommended that calves should be kept with their mothers for at least 12 and preferably 24 hours after birth. Although the language used to express the claims was emotional and hard-hitting, we understood it was the case that calves were generally separated from their mothers very soon after birth, and we therefore concluded that the ad was unlikely to materially mislead readers.”
The story has been covered widely appearing in today’s Guardian, Telegraph, Times and Independent.
The ASA’s finding is a real boost to campaigns such as this that are aimed at revealing the extreme cruelty of dairy farming. Viva!’s ground-breaking report The Dark Side of Dairy lifts the lid on modern dairy farming, shattering its benign image and exposing the immeasurable mental and physical suffering inflicted on millions of cows and their calves every year. It provides an informative overview of Britain’s dairy farming industry. Viva! Health’s report White Lies covers the detrimental health effects of consuming dairy.
Many people have no idea what the life of a modern dairy cow is like. To find out more about dairy farming click here.
About the author
Dr. Justine Butler
Justine joined Viva! in 2005 after graduating from Bristol University with a PhD in molecular biology. After working as a campaigner, then researcher and writer, she is now Viva!’s head of research and her work focuses on animals, the environment and health. Justine’s scientific training helps her research and write both in-depth scientific reports, such as White Lies and the Meat Report, as well as easy-to-read factsheets and myth-busting articles for consumer magazines and updates on the latest research. Justine also recently wrote the Vegan for the Planet guide for Viva!’s Vegan Now campaign.
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