Times: 'Beef report was biased, admits BBC' - sanctions for BBC and Bonnin?

PSQ

Member
Arable Farmer
Beef report was biased, admits BBC

  • The Times
  • 16 Oct 2020
  • Matthew Moore Media Correspondent
The BBC has admitted that a documentary about the environmental impact of eating meat broke impartiality rules by failing to reflect the ecofriendly methods of British farmers.
Meat: A Threat to our Planet? has been removed from iPlayer after the corporation upheld a complaint from the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) that it presented a misleading picture of British beef production.
The programme highlighted the damage caused by intensive cattle farming in Brazil and the US.
Liz Bonnin, the presenter, urged viewers to limit their own consumption, stating: “Every day, with every meal, we can choose where our meat comes from, how much of it to eat and even whether to eat it at all.”
The NFU complained that the documentary broke accuracy and impartiality rules by failing to make clear that the vast majority of beef sold in Britain is from British farms and not produced in ways shown on the programme.
Yesterday the BBC’s executive complaints unit agreed that the programme violated impartiality standards. It concluded: “Viewers received a partial analysis of the impact of livestock farming on the global environment and biodiversity, based almost exclusively on intensive farming methods and of limited application to the choices open to UK consumers.”
The NFU welcomed the ruling but complained that it had taken too long for the national broadcaster to admit its mistake. The documentary was shown on BBC One last November.


Will the BBC and Bonnin face any sanctions or legal action for their blatant anti farming agenda ???
Some senior BBC heads need to roll over this...
 

GeorgeK

Member
Location
Leicestershire
BBC are in for a big shake up, having lost the public's confidence in their impartiality. They will have a new chairman soon and the government is specifically looking for "A strong, credible figure who can hold the BBC to account" and who is "particularly concerned to ensure that the BBC returns to its core values of impartiality" -Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden
About time someone put a leash on those damn hippies
 

DaveGrohl

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Cumbria
Beef report was biased, admits BBC

  • The Times
  • 16 Oct 2020
  • Matthew Moore Media Correspondent
The BBC has admitted that a documentary about the environmental impact of eating meat broke impartiality rules by failing to reflect the ecofriendly methods of British farmers.
Meat: A Threat to our Planet? has been removed from iPlayer after the corporation upheld a complaint from the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) that it presented a misleading picture of British beef production.
The programme highlighted the damage caused by intensive cattle and crops
for humans farming in Brazil and the US.
Liz Bonnin, the presenter, urged viewers to limit their own consumption, stating: “Every day, with every meal, we can choose where our meat comes from, how much of it to eat and even whether to eat it at all.”
The NFU complained that the documentary broke accuracy and impartiality rules by failing to make clear that the vast majority of beef sold in Britain is from British farms and not produced in ways shown on the programme.
Yesterday the BBC’s executive complaints unit agreed that the programme violated impartiality standards. It concluded: “Viewers received a partial analysis of the impact of livestock farming on the global environment and biodiversity, based almost exclusively on intensive farming methods and of limited application to the choices open to UK consumers.”
The NFU welcomed the ruling but complained that it had taken too long for the national broadcaster to admit its mistake. The documentary was shown on BBC One last November.


Will the BBC and Bonnin face any sanctions or legal action for their blatant anti farming agenda ???
Some senior BBC heads need to roll over this...
There, I've fixed that for Ofcom.
 
Last edited:

DaveGrohl

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Cumbria
Also, a big problem with this Ofcom ruling is that it has made no reference to the wildly misleading figures that Bonnin was claiming. Did they remain unchallenged by the NFU?
 

Bill the Bass

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Cumbria
That is a great result for the NFU and I hope that that conceited bitch Liz Bonnin, the BBC and the production company is held accountable and any monies donated to a suitable farming charity like FCN.
However, the programme is yesterdays news, usurped by that pompous old fool David Attenborough and his recent widely publicised programme which due to his name, will be much more impactful. Both my brother in laws have now decided to try going vegetarian as a result of his latest simplistic claptrap programme no doubt many other well meaning but misguided people will too.
 

Raider112

Member
The only thing that will stop these type of programmes being churned out, mainly by the BBC and Channel 4, is legal action that looks for compensation rather than a retraction or apology. Our representatives would get far more goodwill by looking for brownie points from the people who fund them than from politicians or the media.
 

Muck Spreader

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Limousin
Funny thing about the BBC is the left wing think it is right wing, and the right wing think it is left wing.

I don't care how many wings they have, so long as they attempt to report the truth. There is way to much lazy research carried out when producing these programmes. Usually by folk who have little or no understanding of global agricultural systems and certainly their interactions with climate change. :mad:
 

FG.

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
North Wiltshire
I caught the edge of a trailer on the radio yesterday, that Bonnin, Attenborough etc etc are a programme on climate.
I do hope it's not another farmer bashing prog.
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 79 42.5%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 65 34.9%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 16.1%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 6 3.2%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

  • 1,287
  • 1
As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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