MONTREAL—Animal Justice has filed legal complaints against Les Producteurs de lait du Québec (PLQ) over a misleading advertising campaign that misrepresents how the vast majority of dairy cows in the province are raised.
More than 70 percent of dairy barns in Quebec confine cows to tie-stalls, tethering them by the neck in narrow individual stalls for months or even their entire lives. In Intensive confinement systems, they can’t walk, socialize naturally, graze outdoors, or turn around.
But the PLQ ads, located in high-traffic public spaces, including Montreal metro stations, show cows grazing freely in green fields with the slogan “Offrir le plus grand pâturage possible à nos vaches” (“Offering the largest possible pasture to our cows”) prominently featured. Smaller text on the ad also indicates “Produit à la vitesse de la nature”) (“Produced at the speed of nature”) While the ads carry a “Bio” organic dairy logo—where cows are given access to seasonal grazing—the logo is easily missed and still creates the overall false impression that Quebec dairy cows are kept in pastures.
“These ads are trying to sell a fantasy because the current reality of dairy farming in the province would appall many Quebecers,” said Alanna Devine, director of advocacy at Animal Justice, Canada’s leading animal law organization. “The dairy industry wants the public to picture cows roaming freely in picturesque green meadows, but most of them are tied up in stalls.”
“The vast majority of Quebec dairy cows will barely ever set foot outdoors, let alone graze in a pasture. They’ll spend their lives chained in a stall, the exact opposite of what these ads portray.”
A survey conducted by Léger for Quebec’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food found that 81% of Quebecers are concerned about farmed animal welfare. A 2023 survey by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada revealed that 66% of Canadian grocery shoppers would pay extra for animal-based foods produced humanely.
Animal Justice’s complaints argue the ad campaign takes unfair advantage of that concern by showing consumers a version of dairy farming that isn’t representative of the industry.
Unlike companion animals, farmed animals have virtually no legal protections governing their welfare on farms. Dairy farms can keep cows chained for their entire production cycle because the dairy industry writes its own rules.
Instead of enacting binding welfare laws, governments let the industry create voluntary self-regulatory standards via the National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC).
Animal Justice’s complaints were submitted to Canada’s Competition Bureau, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, and Quebec’s Office de la protection du Consommateur. Animal Justice also assisted concerned citizens with filing complaints with Ad Standards Canada.
Contact:
Alanna Devine (Montreal)
Director of Advocacy
[email protected]
Josh Lynn
Public Relations Manager
[email protected]
