Comedian Diane Morgan (Image: Getty)
Comedian Diane Morgan, Brian May and Athena Turner are among a group of celebrities who have written to media secretary Lisa Nandy urging the BBC to more accurately reflect factory farming in its programming.
In their letter, the signatories describe the broadcaster as “a national institution that both shapes and reflects our ethics as a nation of animal lovers,” highlighting its significant influence on public perceptions of animals and their welfare.
But the group, which also includes Kirsty Gallacher, Jenny Seagrove and Will Young raises concerns that BBC coverage can present a softened and incomplete picture in shows like Countryfile which largely portrays pasture-based outdoor farming, when 85% of the approximately one billion animals farmed for food in the UK are kept in industrial indoor farms.
As part of the upcoming BBC Charter review, the group is calling on the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to introduce stronger requirements around animal welfare and sentience in BBC broadcasting guidelines.
The letter reads: “The BBC is one of the UK’s most trusted institutions and few broadcasters have done more to foster public admiration for the natural world.
“The British public has a deep love and respect for animals and concern for their welfare. While this is something the BBC has in many ways reflected and helped cultivate, it is also vitally important to ensure that the way the lived experiences of animals is portrayed in public broadcasting does not obscure or obfuscate the often unpleasant reality.
“We believe it is time to mandate the BBC to present a complete picture of our relationship with animals, and the impact of our actions on them, and to eliminate any perception of partiality. “
The group of celebs has joined forces with 16 animal welfare groups. These groups have submitted a joint proposal to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, outlining recommendations for incorporating stronger animal welfare and sentience standards into BBC content.
“We have noted, on several occasions, mainstream shows such as BBC Breakfast illustrating stories about chicken meat prices or disease outbreaks, using visuals of, or broadcast locations at, free-range/organic outside facilities that do not provide a good visual representation of what most chickens’ lives are actually like or the conditions that are the drivers of concern in the stories,” it reads.
Claire Bass, senior director of campaigns and public affairs at Humane World for Animals UK, said:”This is the first Charter review since animal sentience was recognised in law, so it’s an important opportunity for the Government to ensure that the BBC is mandated to educate audiences on the full spectrum of health and welfare issues animals face.
“Flagship BBC series like Countryfile lean heavily towards depictions of pasture-based outdoor farming, but every day millions of animals live and die inside intensive indoor farming systems in the UK, largely invisible to the public. Audiences deserve more balanced coverage of the realities of how sentient animals, including chickens and pigs, are farmed.
The Animal Law Foundation’s Executive Director Edie Bowles added: “Television has a powerful role in shaping public understanding of British farming. The Ofcom Broadcasting Code rightly emphasises that factual programmes should not materially mislead audiences and that accuracy and appropriate context are essential. In this spirit, we encourage the BBC to continue its strong tradition of trusted public-interest broadcasting by ensuring that portrayals of farming reflect the breadth and complexity of modern agriculture, helping viewers develop a well-informed and balanced understanding of the food system.”