LEGO faces criticism from animal rights activists over CITY farm sets
Animal rights group PETA has criticised the LEGO Group for misleading children with a rose-tinted depiction of farming in its new CITY sets.
PETA representative Mimi Bekhechi has written an official complaint calling for sets such as the upcoming LEGO CITY 60346 Barn & Farm Animals to be rebranded.
The campaign group believes that the sets are painting an idyllic picture that is more in line with an animal sanctuary than a working farm, and should therefore be rebranded as such.
In a letter addressed to Niels B. Christiansen, chief executive of the LEGO Group, Mimi Bekhechi from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals describes animal farming as a ‘bloody, cruel business’, reiterating that ‘no firm should be promoting it, especially to children’.
She states that the ‘pastoral scenes’ depicted by LEGO toys hide the truth about the poor treatment of animals, pointing out that keeping pigs in cramped pens, chickens in cages and the butchering of cows is the ‘blood-soaked’ reality of farming.
The LEGO Group itself has declined to respond, but the National Beef Association has shown support for the company. “This is a misleading message from PETA,” said the NBA’s chief executive Neil Shand. “We have a responsibility to teach children where their food comes from through farm toys.”
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I think the ‘blood-soaked reality’ is referring to the final destination of most animals – the slaughterhouse.
Peta does famously go to farms and document what goes on there though. It may sound “unfun” to you, but killing animals because they “taste yummy” isn’t really fun either.
If the National Beef Association really wants to “teach children where their food comes from” then they should be asking Lego to make a slaughterhouse set to go with this farming one.
Animal farming also does not fit in with The LEGO Group’s new greener image. They’re eliminating one (in-universe) form of emissions by switching the City and Friends cars over to electric, but they’re keeping animal farming around.
If this set had been called “Animal Sanctuary”, like Peta appears to be asking here, I would have bought it. I thought briefly about buying it anyway and just using it as such, but that would ultimately be sending Lego a message of approval on this.
PETA animal shelters have dramatically higher euthanasia rates than any other shelters. The worst of the worst.
What the guy in the picture is doing with those pigs is what we need to do with peta. I don’t know the extent of the profanity filter on this website, but peta needs to go pig shovel themselves.
Also doesn’t peta euthanize like 75% of the animals they end up with? Plus that time they kidnapped and killed someone’s dog. I don’t know if the president of peta is the same woman who wears leather belts and takes medication that’s tested on animals. They’re hypocrites and full of brown ice cream bricks.
Dear Peta,
I have my minecraft render distance turned up all the way, and I still can find the person who asked.
Seriously, anything Peta= unfun. Remember pokemon black and blue? Also, I take it the person who wrote that letter has never been to a farm? Farms aren’t “bloody”. Lego would do well to pay them no mind.