Poster that claimed ‘wool is just as cruel as fur’ is banned by Asa

An advert for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) has been banned for claiming that “wool is just as cruel as fur”.

The ad, seen on the sides of buses in February, read: “Don’t let them pull the wool over your eyes. Wool is just as cruel as fur. Go wool-free this winter.”

Ten complainants said the cruelty claim was misleading because sheep needed to be shorn for health reasons and wool could therefore not be compared to fur.

Responding to the complaints, Peta claimed abuses and suffering in the fur trade had also been documented in the wool industry but were not as well known by the public.

The organisation said the need to shear sheep was a result of selective breeding over the years by humans to increase the yield of wool for use in textiles.

It said the industry had created “unnatural animals” with the use of artificial selection and genetic manipulation that led to a genetic condition which “caused them to suffer as they may overheat and would undergo the pain of shearing”.

The Advertising Standards Authority (Asa) said: “We considered people who saw the ad would interpret the claim ‘wool is just as cruel as fur’ as equating the conditions in which sheep were kept and the methods by which wool was obtained.

“However, sheep were not killed for their wool as animals were in the fur industry and there were standards in place relating to their general welfare including the shearing process.

“We therefore concluded on that basis that the claim was misleading and in breach of the code.”