Sheep Association 'appalled' by hygiene campaign
The National Sheep Association has said it is 'appalled' by the Food Standards Agency over an advertising campaign which shows lamb chops in a urinal.
The FSA created the campaign to encourage consumers to look for the food hygiene rating of restaurants and food outlets, but the NSA and its members called for the agency to 'rethink its current advertising campaign' which it says is negative.
The Agency said it 'uses images designed to challenge assumptions that an establishment's appearance alone can be used as a way of judging its standards of hygiene'.
"The message for consumers is to 'check before you choose' where to eat out, and, if a venue has a low rating, or is Improvement Required, switch to one with a higher rating, or Pass mark" the Agency said.
NSA Scotland Development Officer George Milne said: "This advert is an absolute disgrace and portrays lamb is the worst possible way"
"Sheep farmers in the UK produce lamb to such an incredibly high standard – we have farm assurance inspections, full food-chain traceability, in-depth animal health and medicine records – and now we are faced with this photograph of lovely lamb cutlets in the bottom of a toilet.
"Even if you understand the message of the advert, which is not easy when the image is wrapped around bus shelters and telephone boxes, it still casts red meat in a very poor light."
The National Sheep Association said they have joined the government and industry funded bodies like Eblex and Quality Meat Scotland to spend money advertising and promoting red meat.
NSA has written to FSA voicing extreme displeasure and asking for the image to be removed from public places as a matter of priority. It has also contacted the Advertising Standards Authority.
Milne continued: "We have joint Government and industry funded bodies, such as Eblex and Quality Meat Scotland, spending money on advertising campaigns promoting red meat, only to be undermined by another Government-funded body using this terrible, terrible image. How could anyone in authority have given this the green light?"
