The Countryside Alliance has submitted evidence to Ofcom regarding the BBC's impartiality on rural issues, calling for the need to have a "truly neutral" BBC.
Countryside Alliance representatives met with Ofcom regarding BBC impartiality on rural issues, the BBC complaints system and to get a better understanding of Ofcom's role as the BBC's independent regulator.
It follows a spate of recent complaints against the BBC by the Countryside Alliance, who have criticised the broadcaster for being biased when it comes to rural affairs.
One outcome of the meeting was an invitation to contribute to Ofcom's first Thematic Review of the BBC.
Ofcom is committed to producing at least two such comprehensive reviews of the BBC as part of its role as the broadcaster's regulator, the first of which is considering the representation of the country's different communities.
The Countryside Alliance has now submitted evidence to the review team, saying the BBC has failed to implement the recommendations of its own 2015 review of rural coverage.
In a statement, the Countryside Alliance said: "That review advised the appointment of a Rural Correspondent and pointed to a need to stop portraying rural issues as controversial, by relying on a narrow set of protest groups for comment, just to serve their metropolitan audiences.
"Three years later, no Rural Correspondent has been appointed and the Alliance offered evidence that the BBC continued to report on rural issues as conflicts between protest groups rather than delving into underlying issues."
Countryside Alliance Chief Executive, Tim Bonner added: "We believe the countryside deserves a truly neutral BBC. Our campaigning on this issue is relentless because BBC bias on rural issues is relentless, and it is vital that we highlight every occurrence until the problem is sorted.
"We are very grateful to Ofcom for the opportunity to discuss our concerns, and for the opportunity to contribute to this thematic review. Hopefully it marks the beginning of improved rural coverage at the BBC."
