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Steggles: Stegglers For Cruelty
Steggles have hired pretigious M&C Saatchi to produce a TV commercial that portrays the chickens produced for meat inside their farms as having happy lives in a safe and caring environment. NOTHING could be further from the truth. Produced by M&C Saatchi, the commercial features glossy scenes of chickens in clean, unpolluted sheds with sunlight streaming in through windows. A worker is introduced who gently cradles a bird in his arms, with a look of genuine concern for the animals well-being. Another Steggler employee assures viewers "No, there's no cages in our sheds!" with a big grin...when cages are used in egg production not in chicken meat production.
ALV has lodged a complaint to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) urging them to take action agianst Steggles for their blatant attempt to mislead the public.
WHAT IS LIFE REALLY LIKE FOR THESE BIRDS?
For many years ALV has been investigating and rescuing birds from broiler chicken farms. During the past six years we have rescued hundreds of sick and crippled birds from Parkhurst Broiler Chicken Farm outside Werribee which was recently exposed on ABC's Lateline. Parkhurst is owned by Baiada, the same company that owns Steggles. ALV's graphic footage of these sheds is truly shocking. Watch the video...
THE LIE...
Steggles would have you believe that their sheds are full of sunlight with the birds free to roam in a clean open space. The "Stegglers for Comfort" would also have you believe that the 40,000 plus birds in every shed are visited by their loving employees who cradle and stroke the birds in their arms.
THE REALITY...
ALV footage has proven over and over again that millions of birds routinely die every year in Australia's chicken sheds because many chicks are too weak, crippled or small to reach the food and water outlets. These starving birds (if they don't die in pain first) are forced to eat the rotting corpses left strewn on the thick mounds of excrement covering the floor.
Steggles claiming they are "Stegglers for Quality and Comfort" would be the joke of the year if it didn't translate into routine, enormous and severe animal cruelty.
HOW YOU CAN HELP THESE BIRDS - COMPLAIN TO THE ACCC TODAY!
Steggles must not be allowed to deceive the public through their misleading advertising.
We need your help to put pressure on the ACCC to take action against Steggles for their blatant lies. Below is ALV's complaint to the ACCC. Use it as a guide when sending your own complaint in your own words. Thanks SO MUCH for your help with this!
Make sure you watch the Steggles commercial here before writing your complaint.
Click Here To Submit Your Complaint...
ALV COMPLAINT TO ACCC
Date received
30th April 2010
Product description
TVC - Stegglers for Quality
Product provider
Steggles - owned by Baiada
Complaint description
Description of Ad: The ad features Roy (responsible for breeding) holding a hen / rooster, Leanne checking the eggs in the hatchery and Julie stating there are no cages in ‘our’ sheds with a shot of a group of hens.
Reason for Concern: We firmly believe that this advertisement breaches 3 codes set down by the ASB as follows. Codes Breached – 1.2 of Section 1 of the AANA Code of Ethics and 2.1 of Section 2 of the AANA Food and Beverages Advertising and Marketing Communication Code TVC – At the 3 second mark a hen / rooster is seen moving freely in the foreground. At the 4 second mark of the TVC Roy, a staff member responsible for breeding, picks up a hen / rooster and pats it with affection like many would pat their companion animals.
Reality – Upon visiting a broiler breeding farm contracted to Steggles you will find the typical breeding hen / rooster is kept in windowless sheds and cannot move about freely outdoors. We believe that none of the 20,000 or more birds in each shed would receive the affection Roy portrays in this TVC. These hens / roosters are also typically not in very ‘presentable’ condition as they lose many of their feathers when forced to breed continually to keep up with demand. The ‘average consumer’ (a term used to determine what is and what isn’t deceptive or misleading in many AANA codes) would not know that these hens / roosters are not in their typical condition and environment and is therefore clearly misleading under these codes.
TVC – At the 17 second mark Julie and her co-worker walk towards the sheds and open the door to find the broiler chicks moving around with daylight coming from a different angle to the door. It is a peaceful environment.
Reality – Broiler sheds do not have windows. They are artificially lit for long periods to trick the hens and roosters into thinking it is daylight (so they continue to feed). The TVC deceives the ‘average consumer’ in that it features beautiful sunlight streaming across the chicks. This would be an extremely rare situation and clearly in no way typical of how the majority of Steggles chickens are raised. Incidentally, if you study the TVC at the 17 second mark, you will notice the sheds are identical and there are no windows on the right side of the shed on the left yet there is daylight coming from the right in the shed they enter (even if that exact shed had windows there is a tree totally shading the right side). Broiler sheds also have extremely loud exhaust fans on all the time so the ammonia levels do not become toxic. The TVC does not feature these extra-ordinarily loud exhaust fans (which should be able to be heard on the TVC) and instead portrays a peaceful environment. This is clearly deceptive.
TVC – The broiler chicks are walking on a fresh surface.
Reality – Perhaps the most unashamed breach of these codes. The broiler chicks featured in the shed are nearing the stage of ‘depopulation’ (6-8 weeks old). Broiler sheds do not have their surfaces cleaned and/or replaced once the day old chicks have been introduced into the sheds. A shed after 6-8 weeks is covered in excrement with the chicks having to sit on the accumulated droppings of thousands of birds with many developing ammonia burns. The birds are also very crowded together at this stage and not able to 'freely roam'.
Code Breached – 1.3 of Section 1 of the AANA Code of Ethics TVC – Julie proudly announces that there are "no cages in our sheds".
Reality – This statement is extremely misleading and deceptive in that it is not common practice for any broiler farms to hold the chicks in cages as only hens kept for egg laying purposes might be kept in cages. This statement is blatantly misleading and attempting to falsely place Steggles on a higher ground than it’s competitors. This is a poor attempt to appeal to, as well as take advantage of, the compassionate side of the ‘average consumer’ who does not have a strong understanding of this industry. It is disappointing that Steggles would steep this low to attract and retain business.
Conclusion – ALV strongly believes this Steggles TVC portrays to the 'average consumer' that the hens, roosters and chicks used for their products are living lives 'roaming' freely in clean and loving environments when we know this is clearly not the case. It is wrong that Steggles is allowed to 'dress up' such inaccuracies as an advertisement for 'Quality Products' when their primary aim is to mislead the ‘average consumer’ on the quality of life the hens, roosters and chicks lead before slaughter. I have attached a few photos from a recent (March 19, 2010) investigation we did at a farm that is contracted to Baiada here in Victoria. We have been investigating broiler sheds for over twelve years and what these photos show is routine and typical conditions we find inside broiler chicken sheds.
We look forward to your consideration in this important matter. Thank you
Patty Mark President Animal Liberation Victoria
Confidentiality: No
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