A TV ADVERT promoting the eating of lamb has infuriated Australian vegans over one particular scene.
The ad, run by industry group Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) and entitled ‘Commence Operation Boomerang’, is a tongue-in-cheek call to arms for Australians everywhere who may be missing out on eating meat, specifically lamb, on Australia Day.
Featuring such celebrities as Lee Lin Chin, a newscaster and prolific user of social media, and retired cricketer Mitchell Johnson, the ad is more akin to the mayhem of a Michael Bay movie than your standard meat industry fare.
A problem has arisen with one section of the video however. The lamb commandos drop in on a New York apartment where an Australian expatriate is living.
When told that the commandos wish to bring him home to eat lamb, the man replies “but I’m a vegan now”. This stops the soundtrack and leaves the military men dumbfounded.
The next scene shows the men using a flamethrower on a bowl of kale, a form of cabbage, sitting on the coffee table while Lin Chin mutters “vegans” under her breath and the bearded expat cowers in the corner.
It is this shot in particular that apparently has Australian vegans up in arms.
The Australian Advertising Standards Bureau (ASB) has so far received in the region of 250 complaints about the video, mostly from vegans. Complaints have also been received regarding the ad’s implied violence, and of cultural insensitivity (the ad’s military operation is dubbed ‘Operation Boomerang’ – boomerang being an Aboriginal word).
Andrew Howie of MLA is quoted by ABC as defending the video as ‘a bit of fun’.
“The torching is metaphorical towards the kale in the bowl,” he said.
It’s in no way intended to be abusive or violent … what we are trying to do is increase lamb sales over the period.
Fiona Jolly of the ASB meanwhile said that the scene containing the vegan has not broken their code of conduct.
“The code of ethics doesn’t really have lifestyle choice or eating preferences as an issue that we will look at as being discriminatory or vilifying,” she told ABC.
What is likely against the rules however is the use of the flamethrower.
“Ads cannot contain violence unless it’s relevant to the service or the product being advertised,” Jolly said.
There is no place for violence in an ad unless it’s relevant to the product, so what the board has to look at is the part of the ad complained about — is it actually violent?”
According to Jolly the ASB could potentially pull the ad, or have it forcibly edited, if it is found to have broken the code with regard to violence.
The ad cost about €770,000 to make and is due to run until 26 January. Such ads by the MLA have become a staple of Australia Day in recent years, with each one featuring a ‘lambassador’, in this case Lin Chin.
Australia Day, celebrated on 26 January, is the official national day of Australia.
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