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Pig industry complaint over advert backfires
A complaint about an advertisement by Compassion in World Farming has backfired on to the factory pig industry.
A farmer complained because the advert said pigs suffered like humans would from having their teeth trimmed.
But today the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) says it is convinced that they do.
The fund-raising advert for the CIWF was headlined: "What noise does a piglet make when its teeth are cut off with pliers – without anaesthetic? Same as you."
The complainant maintained it did not cause piglets distress if done properly.
The CIWF submitted film of pigs squealing during the operation and a scientific analysis of the significance of the "intense and strident vocalisation".
In a report published today, the ASA sums up: "We noted that when a pig was picked up and its teeth clipped it was likely to squeal, rather than grunt. We accepted that squealing was in this context a reliable indicator of distress or pain.
"No further action necessary."
Piglets often have their teeth clipped to minimise biting injuries to the teats of sows and to other piglets.
The CIWF says it is only necessary if the pigs are overcrowded and the sows have too many piglets to look after.
The National Pig Association defended the practice recently, saying: "Tooth reduction is a momentary issue where the handling is often more stressful than the activity."
OVEN CLEANER AD THAT MOCKS MEN'NOT SEXIST'
An oven cleaner advertisement that claimed the product was "so easy, even a man can do it" was not sexist, the advertising watchdog has ruled.
The advert for an Oven Pride product prompted a total of 673 complaints, most of which said the ad was offensive because it suggested that men were stupid and lazy.
But the Advertising Standards Authority ruled that most viewers would see the ad as light-hearted and did not uphold the complaints.
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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