A Christmas advertising campaign by an animal rights organisation has been met with censorship causing concern about their ability to show the public what they say are "the harsh realities of turkey farming"
The rejected Animal Aid billboard adverts, initially featuring a heart-warming scene of a turkey family decorating a Christmas tree, were altered after the advertising agency demanded changes to the wording, citing concerns about its "distressing" nature.
The original advertisements included a poignant message: "On farms, turkeys are forced to grow four times their natural size, causing broken bones. Many can’t move and starve to death. The rest are killed as babies. Turkeys hate Christmas."
Animal Aid was asked to substantiate these facts and provided multiple pieces of evidence to support each claim made in the text. Despite presenting irrefutable evidence, the agency responsible for the approval of the ads insisted on alterations, ultimately rejecting the original copy. The approved version now reads: "Turkeys hate Christmas. Go Vegan This Year."
A statement from Animal Aid said that the changes meant it was not able to tell the public verifiable facts about where their food comes from, but added that it remained steadfast in its commitment to exposing the truth behind the meat industry and believes that consumers should have access to the information needed to make informed choices about their food consumption.
Arabella Atkinson, Campaign Manager for Animal Aid, expressed disappointment at the censorship of their adverts. She said: "Around 10 million turkeys are eaten on Christmas day in the UK, having led very short and painful lives and experienced terrifying deaths. Our goal is to raise awareness and promote transparency about the treatment of animals in the farming industry. It's extremely sad that our adverts were not allowed to do this. The public deserves to be informed about the consequences of their choices, especially when it comes to the ethical considerations of animals."