Steggles found guilty of misleading advertising over ‘free to roam’ claim
The current Steggles ad
Poultry brand Steggles has been found guilty of misleading advertising by claiming its chickens are “free to roam” despite being confined to space smaller than a piece of A4 paper.
The two-year-long case was brought by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
The ACCC said in a statement:
“The Court found that the ordinary and natural meaning of the phrase ‘free to roam’ is “the largely uninhibited ability of the chickens to move around at will in an aimless manner.” In contrast, Justice Tracey found that at times in their growth cycle the chickens “could not move more than a metre or so (at most) without having their further movement obstructed by a barrier of clustered birds”.
“Steggles statistics indicated consistent stocking densities of between 17.4 and 19.6 chickens per square metre. The ACCC alleged that at these densities each chicken, on average, had access to floor space which was less than the size of an A4 sheet of paper and that this was contrary to the representation that they were ‘free to roam’.”
No punishment has yet been set down by the court.
Steggles’ parent company Baiada Poultry said in a statement: “In September 2011, Baiada Poultry appealed the allegations made by the ACCC in reference to the statement ‘free to roam in large barns’, having strongly believed that the statement was an accurate description that conveyed it’s farming methods. The court has since found Baiada Poultry in breach of ss 52 and 53 (a) of the Act.
“It was noted in the judgement documentation that “the ACCC did not suggest that these densities gave rise to animal welfare issues. Baiada strictly observed the industry standards and ensured that stocking levels were kept below the maximum prescribed by those standards”.
The ABC’s 7.30 Report aired footage contradicting Steggles’ claims in late 2001:
Steggles – whose creative agency is M&C Saatchi – is currently running an ad campaign featuring its staff tucking into an open air picnic.
Tim Burrowes founded Mumbrella in 2008. He worked on Mumbrella until 2021. At various points he was editor, content director and editor-at-large.
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This article has been up for 4 hours and no reply?
Screw Steggles/Baida.
They deserve to have their ass handed to them for this.
I’m not even a vegetarian… but geez, smarmy, well filmed ads disguising what is really a terrible quality of life for animals is utterly pathetic.
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straight to the top of my banned list you bastards.
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And the family picnic is a shit ad, to boot.
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These companies are a disgrace; worst of all is M&C saatchi for the deceptive, misleading and immoral work they have created with the latest Steggles’ advertisement.
I work in Education, (specifically Management and Business Ethics), and I pledge to go out of my way to teach and assess in a way that will show these companies as the thugs they are.
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I’m angry about this. I’ve been thinking so much more about where my meat cones from & I purposely buy chicken that says its animals are free range or free to roam or whatever. I have bought Steggles based on their brand reputation. No more.
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They’re a steggler for telling porkies
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So Steggles idea of ‘free to roam’ is actually 2 millimetres to the left or the right.
Wow, they’re really treating consumers like idiots.
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Yelwar is 100% spot on, the client AND THE AGENCY are both liable in my humble opinion
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Loads of emotional, un-researched opinions about this it seems. Animal welfare does bring out the emotions, but doesn’t seem to stop people from eating around 46kg of chicken every year. I’ve read the articles too, and it doesn’t say they implied that the chickens were free range, rather that they were free to roam inside the barns, Isn’t that what they do? Honestly, as long as they are living a healthy life before we eat them, that’s ok with me. I don’t want to think about it too much anyway, I’m happy just to eat my dinner. Sorry to all the over-emotional do-gooders who are going to cry when they read this, but its the truth.
And slamming M&C for the ads just seems stupid. I don’t think anyone can honestly say that M&C’s work is crap, they are among the best in the business.
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@anon are you stupid, or do you work for M&C or Steggles? They are not free to roam inside the barn because there is no room. Less it would seem than between your ears.
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Anongirl? She’s a steggler.
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@ anongirl … Obviously you’ve never been inside one of these “barns.” They are a sea of white as thousands upon thousands of animals aimlessly jostle for space to walk about. The places stink to high heaven as noisy exhausted fans, sounding like jet engines, face a losing battle to suck out the foul – no pun intended – air.
The animals are grown from new-born chicks to slaughter-sized fowls within two months. They have no idea if it’s day or night outside. Some of these “barns” have a regular inspection where chooks that are judged to be diseased or sick have their necks wrung on the spot and their bodies thrown away.
Once grown to regulation size, they are stuffed a dozen at a time in crates and driven off to processing plants where they are hung upside down on a conveyor line that dips their heads in electrified water troughs where they are supposed to be shocked into unconsciousness. Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn’t. If they are still conscious when they emerge from the water there is someone waiting with a knife to slit their throats – top job!
Within an hour, what was a sentient being is reduced to chicken nuggets. Not even the most folksy of advertising spin can cover up what is the pitiful life and violent death of the humble chicken – yum, yum don’t them nuggets taste so good!
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Steggles’ attention to detail is just as obvious in the statement…
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