Animal rights activists file a complaint against Migros advertising

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• Animal welfare organizations are planning a complaint against Migros advertising and accuse it of "welfare washing".
• They criticize the campaign as cynical and point to abuses in animal husbandry.
• Migros rejects the accusations and emphasizes its commitment, while at the same time focusing more on low prices.

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The "Werbemist" team is planning to lodge a complaint with the Swiss Commission for Fair Trading (SLK) in the next few days, as it informed the Keystone-SDA news agency on Sunday. Behind "Werbemist" are the animal rights organizations "Animal Rights Switzerland", "Sentience", the "Stiftung für das Tier im Recht (TIR)" and "Tier im Fokus (TIF)". The "Sonntags-Zeitung" first reported on this.

The claim "Always up to date: animal welfare" from the Migros advertising campaign was "cynical" in view of the serious animal welfare problems in the animal industry. The organizations referred to painful sternum fractures in laying hens or the CO2 stunning of pigs, which leads to suffocation panic.

Nevertheless, Migros can use the labels "animal welfare" or "animal-friendly" for advertising purposes, as these terms are not legally protected, according to "Werbemist". In its complaint, the Animal Welfare Alliance accused Migros of "welfare washing".

Migros rejected the accusations. Animal welfare is a clear mandate for Migros, a spokeswoman told Keystone-SDA. Standards are constantly reviewed and improvements are implemented. However, Migros also wrote that it is clear that challenges in animal husbandry can only be tackled "together with agriculture, research and the authorities".

Orange giant changes course

According to the Sonntags-Zeitung, Migros has been focusing more strongly on a low-price strategy since 2023. In addition, the company has now abandoned its goal of guaranteeing the same minimum standards for imported meat as for Swiss meat.

The criticism can therefore be attributed to a strategic change of course at Migros under the new management.