Meat & Livestock Australia is certainly no stranger to controversy with its latest ad attracting plenty of it, as it features Hindu deity Ganesha—a renowned vegetarian.
The ‘All Faiths Unite Over Lamb’ campaign by The Monkeys shows gods, goddesses, religious figures and aliens all sharing lamb in a non-religious woman’s backyard.
While Islam’s Muhammad is noticeably absent from the backyard gathering (with Jesus questioning why the prophet can’t make an appearance), Hindu deity Ganesha does make an appearance, which is somewhat perplexing since Ganesha is a vegetarian.
Although the campaign intends to create more unity among people of diverse faiths, many have criticised the video for cultural insensitivity with one Mumbrella writer stating that the ad “fails to respect the sensitivity associated with diverse cultures and the reason why some religions don’t eat certain food and in this case specifically lamb.”
MLA’s ads have regularly attracted criticism over the years, with its last video to promote lamb receiving hundreds of complaints for its depiction of bullying and its 2017 Australia Day ad called out for historical inaccuracies.
