** IMPORT ** MLC to refer PETA to ad watchdog

JOURNAL : Farmers Weekly
SUBJECT : MLC to refer PETA to ad watchdog
AUTHOR : News
SECTION : News
ISSUE DATE : 13/09/06
PAGE NUMBER : 6
COPYRIGHT : Free Reuse

HEADLINE: MLC to refer PETA to ad watchdog

TEXT: The Meat and Livestock Commission is to refer PETA, the animal rights group, to the Advertising Standards Agency for a poster campaign that claims feeding children meat is child abuse.
The poster is part of the latest PETA campaign to promote vegetarianism and suggests feeding children meat is bad parenting.
Playing heavily on the conscience of parents, the campaign states: “Feeding children meat is child abuse. Stuffing your kids full of burgers and bangers will not only make them fat and lethargic – it may also set them up for a host of health problems, including heart disease, diabetes and several types of cancer.”
A spokesman for the MLC said the campaign was “incredibly irresponsible”.
“The campaign doesn’t appear to draw on any science or research. It’s just a bunch of unsubstantiated factoids that PETA has thrown together for its own publicity purposes.
“It’s incredibly irresponsible. Withdrawing meat from children’s diets won’t do them any good as they will be missing vital minerals and nutrients.”