A MAJOR advertising campaign for British pork has been banned for misleading the public with claims of ‘very high welfare’.

The pigs are worth it adverts, describing the British pig industry as having ‘very high welfare standards’, were deemed unacceptable and banned from further use by the Advertising Standard Authority following a complaint by Compassion in World Farming.

Still too many fattening pigs in the UK are kept indoors in crowded pens with little or no straw, and around 80 per cent are routinely tail-docked.

We do need to support our pig farmers, but only those who rear their pigs to truly high welfare standards, such as organic, outdoor bred and reared, and RSPCA Freedom Food. While we agree that British pigs are treated better than many of their European counterparts – with no sow stalls and castration being rare – there is still a long way to go before the industry can claim that ‘British pig farms have very high welfare standards’.

We believe animals should not, and need not, suffer. If you agree, please help us stand up to those who put profit before animal welfare. For more information, please contact Compassion in World Farming on 01483 521 953 or email compassion@ciwf.org Jill Bentall, Charlton.