Fury over TV series that ‘trivialises’ vegan attacks
Farming organisations yesterday expressed their deep concerns over Channel 4’s decision to push ahead with broadcasting the documentary entitled How to steal a pig and influence people, despite being notified of the impact which such criminal behaviour had on farmers, their families, their business and the health and welfare of their animals.
A joint release from the UK’S farming union said that the title and trailers of the programme, with talk of “daring farmyard heists”, indicated that the programme makers regard illegal activity as “trivial and humorous”.
And while Channel 4 claimed the programme neither glamorised or condoned illegal activity, the unions said they still wanted to know what efforts the broadcaster had gone to to pass information on to the police regarding any criminal behaviour it had either filmed or featured in the programme.
“Farms are not only businesses, they are also homes for families. It is quite astonishing that Channel 4 have chosen to commission and broadcast this programme given the dreadful impact that these attacks have on the health and wellbeing of those farmers targeted,” said the unions.
“We do not understand why farming families are being seen as fair game by the broadcaster and treated differently from other citizens who all have the right to be protected from criminal behaviour and not to see those criminals given airtime and profile.”
The unions said they fully supported the efforts being taken by the National Pig Association (NPA) who were seeking legal advice over the airing of the programme.
NPA policy services officer Lizzie Wilson highlighted how the British pig industry and its farming families had been consistently targeted by animal rights activists.
“This activity has increased over the past two year, with activists brazenly trespassing on farms either at night or during the day to make their views known,” said Wilson.
She also highlighted how the programme could potentially encourage the spread of notifiable diseases such as African swine fever.
“Some animal rights activists are known to travel from country to country, trespassing on various pig farms with no consideration as to how they endanger the health of the animals they claim to care so much about,” said Wilson.
She added that the NPA had informed both Lincolnshire and Cheshire Police about the programme for showing criminal activity.
Responding for the Channel 4 programme, Tom Calvert, head of legal at the production company Dragonfly, said that illegal acts committed by vegan activists were not glamourised, encouraged or condoned in any way.
“The negative impact of the event on the farmer and her animals is made clear to viewers,” he said, adding that the programme also featured people who actively opposed the vegan movement and claimed the programme gave a fair and balanced view of the debate.