Vegans who sought to ban an advert promoting meat and dairy consumption have been left ‘frustrated’ after the regulatory body rejected their protests.

More than 500 people complained about a £1.5 million campaign that pushed eating the two food groups as part of a ‘varied and balanced diet alongside a healthy lifestyle’.

One of the ads claimed: ‘Beef, pork, lamb and milk contain vitamin B12, an essential nutrient not naturally present in the vegan diet.’

Angry plant-eaters accused the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board’s We Eat Balanced drive of suggesting meat and dairy is crucial in order to secure a healthy diet.

They also argued the advert implied people had to eat meat to get B12 when it is in plant milks, soy products and breakfast cereal.

The campaign should be stopped as it implied animals bred for livestock were outdoor grazed and happily roaming across green fields, they claimed.

Humane League UK, The Vegan Society, Compassion in World Farming UK, Four Paws, PETA, Surge Campaigning CIC, Brinsley Animal Rescue and Viva! all branded the ads ‘misleading’.

Commenting on Facebook, Grace Lanham named them a ‘load of rubbish’.

She said: ‘We should take notice of our earth and stop eating meat and harming our poor animals. Learn the facts.’

Hannah Kyle added: ‘Really? How desperate do the meat and dairy industry have to be to put an ad out on TV spouting absolute lies about it being healthy for you?’

But farmer Scott Crofter Sutherland fired back: ‘We farmers and crofters do a d*** good job of looking after our livestock and tending to the land and caring for it.

‘Vegans that’s fine if you want to be one, but do not tell us we are cruel and damaging the world.’

A spokesman for The Vegan Society said the group was ‘disheartened and frustrated’ after none of the complaints were upheld by The Advertising Standards Authority.

Louise Davies, Head of Campaigns, said: ‘We still strongly believe by running these adverts the AHDB set out to purposely mislead the public at a time when a record-breaking number of people were trying veganism through the Veganuary campaign.

‘Despite the outcome we hope the huge number of complaints submitted to the ASA will encourage the ADHB and similar bodies to think twice before resorting to such scare tactics again in future.’

AHDB’s Chief Communications and Market Development Officer Christine Watts said they were ‘delighted’ with the ruling.

She said: ‘For British farming this is an important day as we can continue to communicate the benefits around consuming red meat and dairy as part of a balanced diet.’

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