Complaint filed against National Pork Board and entertainer Luke Bryan alleges deceptive advertising
April 30, 2024
Animal Partisan has filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission alleging deceptive advertising by the National Pork Board and entertainer Luke Bryan. The complaint stems from a video advertisement released by the National Pork Board and endorsed by Bryan that promotes the pork industry by likening the treatment of pigs at farms to that of guests at a luxury hotel.
The video advertisement at issue, released in late 2022, was filmed in a focus group setting where a moderator purports to describe a “five-star hotel” to participants. The moderator describes different aspects of the “hotel”, including the staff, cleanliness, nutrition, comfort, and sustainability. Participants are told that the “hotel” provides “5-star individualized service” to guests, that the environment is “comfortable”, includes “daily room cleaning” and “regular doctor visits,” that guests have a “personal nutritionist” and receive “quality” foods. After focus group participants respond favorably to these comments, they are told that the moderator has in fact been describing a “modern pig farm” at which time videos inside a big farm are shown to the enamored participants. The challenged video is below:
When originally released, the video advertisement concluded with an appearance by Bryan, a country musician and judge on the televised competition show, American Idol. The video has since been modified to remove Bryan’s appearance, although Bryan continues to promote the focus group theme on his Instagram page.
Animal Partisan’s complaint alleges that the advertisement violates federal law intended to prevent deceptive advertising. First, the complaint alleges that numerous undercover investigations conducted by animal protection groups at pork factory farms have documented conditions unlike any luxury hotel and which directly contradict the representations made in the video. These include the following investigations among others:
Animal Outlook’s 2023 investigation release from a Minnesota pork farm that documented botched attempts to gas to death sick or injured piglets using carbon dioxide poisoning, piglets subjected to castration by having their testicles being ripped out by hand without any pain relief, widespread neglect, including open sores and prolapses where internal organs hang from live pigs’ bodies, and numerous other forms of mistreatment.
Mercy for Animals’ 2023 investigation release from a Nebraska pork farm that documented pregnant pigs confined to cramped individual gestation crates where they experienced depression-like states and were driven mad by boredom and stress, pigs with exposed and prolapsed organs, and other pigs deprived of veterinary care.
Direct Action Everywhere’s 2023 release from inside the gas chamber at a a California pork slaughterhouse that depicted pigs screaming and gasping for air while they thrash violently trying to escape.
Animal Partisan’s complaint further alleges that standard pork industry practices that are widely accepted by the industry are the exact opposite of what a guest at a luxury hotel would expect. These include practices such as the use of gestation crates; mutilations such as castration, tail docking, and ear notching; and the use of “feedback”—feeding feces to pigs to allegedly boost immune systems. The complaint alleges that the representations in the video are incompatible with these practices and that the advertisement is deceptive and misleading to consumers.
The complaint asks the Federal Trade Commission to intervene and prevent further dissemination of the video.
Read a copy of the complaint HERE.
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