High-profile vegan advertisement campaigns are having the reverse effect they desired, with the public shunning them and instead supporting British farming, according to a new YouGov poll.
The survey, of 2023 UK adults, found that of the 83% of UK adults surveyed who had not seen the pro-vegan campaigns before, 54% said they were less likely to become vegan after being exposed to two of the adverts.
And only 7% of those surveyed on 12 April said the anti-farming campaigns meant they might consider turning vegan.
NFU president Meurig Raymond said that survey work demonstrates that the public support British farming.
He said: “While we accept that 1% of the population choose to be vegan, what these survey results show is that these extreme views aren’t shared with the wider public who continue to show their support for British farming.
“Our own survey work demonstrates that public support for British farming is growing. This latest survey demonstrates that the public do not like the anti-farming rhetoric and scaremongering coming out of some organisations.”
Mr Raymond concluded: “Like many other farmers, I am proud to work in a safe, traceable and independently audited food chain under assurance schemes like the Red Tractor.”
NFU's Dairy Board has called on the industry to treat recent vegan campaigns as a wakeup call.
Recent campaigns, including those by Go Vegan World, have left some dairy farmers fearing for their future.
