The ASA has ruled that the adverts, which read ‘Pork not porkies. Red Tractor pork is high welfare pork’ are misleading. The ASA said the claim appeared to be a statement about the general level of pig welfare on UK farms, whereas the promoters of the advert admitted that it was a comparative claim with imported pork.
Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) and 206 members of the public, the majority of whom appeared to be supporters of CIWF, challenged whether the claim ‘Red Tractor Pork is high welfare pork’ was misleading and could be substantiated.
AHDB explained that the Red Tractor scheme was owned by Assured Food Standards, a British organisation that promoted and regulated food quality. The quality mark scheme involved animal welfare assurance for the whole supply chain from farm to the retail outlet, unlike other schemes that predominantly concentrated on food safety.
AHDB said 92% of farms in the UK were members of the Red Tractor scheme accounting for 40% of pork sold in the UK, with 98% of the remaining 60% of pork sold in the UK coming from EU exporting countries.
They said Red Tractor pork was high welfare compared to pork from other EU exporting countries and believed that consumers would understand that Red Tractor pork was high welfare compared with other pork on the UK shop shelves. AHDB believed EU legislation prevented them from making a direct comparison with imported pork.
Source: ASA
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