ABC breaches impartiality rules on food program

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has found the ABC breached the impartiality provisions of its own Code of Practice in a program about sustainable ways to produce food.

Beef was one of the foods explored in the Catalyst program ‘Feeding Australia: Foods of Tomorrow’, which aired in August last year, but the meat industry did not believe there was a fair representation of beef production.

Meat and Livestock Australia’s (MLA) Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Lisa Sharp, said: “While the program took the time to investigate and report on the current research and development being undertaken in many other agricultural sectors (eg, barramundi farming), it chose not to do the same for the Australian beef industry.”

She continued by stating it “grossly overestimated claims of environmental impact in order to promote alternative protein sources. Red meat producers rightly expect impartial coverage of their work, especially to metropolitan viewers.”

After an initial complaint directly to the ABC was dismissed, MLA took the issue to the ACMA, which carried out an investigation.

It found that the program failed to present the production of beef with due impartiality, as it did for other foods, which is a requirement of the Code. Dramatic visual displays, emotive language and moral arguments were found in the segments that referred to beef, which the ACMA said resulted in a lack of fair treatment and open-mindedness.

“The sustainability of Australia’s food supply is an important topic for discussion on which there will be different views held in the community. The ACMA considers that, had the program dealt with some matters differently, the program may have met the Code requirement for impartiality,’ said ACMA Chair Nerida O’Loughlin.

The ACMA also assessed the accuracy of various statements about beef production in the program and found no breach of the Code.

In response to the ACMA findings, the ABC said it continues to support the Catalyst team and the program.

“We respectfully disagree with the ACMA’s view that the program lacked impartiality and note that it found the program’s description of the environmental impact of beef farming to be accurate and not misleading,” it said in a statement.

The report has been communicated to the program’s production team and the ACMA said that given the ABC’s strong track record of compliance with the Code, no further action is required.

Sharp said MLA hopes the outcome will help set a precedent. “Fair, accurate and impartial reporting is crucial to reflect the efforts of producers across Australia who produce a high-quality and sustainable product that is valued and enjoyed by consumers around the world.”

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