- Sep 6, 2000
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"The truth is that there's misery in every glass of milk"
We have been led to believe that great cheese comes from happy cows, that happy cows come from California and that bulls talk, mostly about attractive cows, who seem to flourish in the state's clean air, good food and sunshine. Now they say this is deceptive advertising?
The ads in question, for the California Milk Advisory Board, depict cows blessed by the sun, enjoying dreamy California pastures -- but that representation can't possibly be true, alleges People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. PETA says dairy cows endure lives of pain, disease, suffering and work.
PETA said that it plans to file a complaint today with the Federal Trade Commission in Washington, D.C. The group seeks an investigation of the "Happy Cows" ad campaign that it believes misleads consumers into thinking that dairy cows live easy lives. The TV spots, which air only in California, are unlawfully deceptive, the complaint says.
"The truth is that there's misery in every glass of milk," said Matthew Penzer, a lawyer for PETA, the animal rights advocacy group based in Norfolk, Va., which has long assailed dairy industry practices.
The ads, created by Deutsch Inc. Advertising in Los Angeles, show cows quite comfortable in their surroundings when, PETA says, the reality of a dairy operation is that cows stand in their fecal waste and, after they are no longer useful, they're slaughtered.
Even PETA allows the spots are clever. "They have the right to create ads that are effective, but they are lying to people," said Bruce Friedrich, a spokesman. "It's like tobacco companies saying smoking will allow you to live to a ripe old age."
We have been led to believe that great cheese comes from happy cows, that happy cows come from California and that bulls talk, mostly about attractive cows, who seem to flourish in the state's clean air, good food and sunshine. Now they say this is deceptive advertising?
The ads in question, for the California Milk Advisory Board, depict cows blessed by the sun, enjoying dreamy California pastures -- but that representation can't possibly be true, alleges People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. PETA says dairy cows endure lives of pain, disease, suffering and work.
PETA said that it plans to file a complaint today with the Federal Trade Commission in Washington, D.C. The group seeks an investigation of the "Happy Cows" ad campaign that it believes misleads consumers into thinking that dairy cows live easy lives. The TV spots, which air only in California, are unlawfully deceptive, the complaint says.
"The truth is that there's misery in every glass of milk," said Matthew Penzer, a lawyer for PETA, the animal rights advocacy group based in Norfolk, Va., which has long assailed dairy industry practices.
The ads, created by Deutsch Inc. Advertising in Los Angeles, show cows quite comfortable in their surroundings when, PETA says, the reality of a dairy operation is that cows stand in their fecal waste and, after they are no longer useful, they're slaughtered.
Even PETA allows the spots are clever. "They have the right to create ads that are effective, but they are lying to people," said Bruce Friedrich, a spokesman. "It's like tobacco companies saying smoking will allow you to live to a ripe old age."
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