‘Insensitive’ vegan charity advert showing baby being taken away from mother banned

An advert from a vegan charity which shows a baby being taken away from its mother has been banned after the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) branded it “irresponsible”.

The 50-second spot from Viva! shows a baby sleeping in its cot with its mother coming in the room to check on it when an ominous man dressed in all black appears.

The baby suddenly disappears and when the distressed mother asks where her child is gone, the man replies: “You can’t keep your baby because we want your milk.”

The charity said the advert - titled Scary Dairy - was meant to replicate the unsettling process experienced by dairy calves being separated from their mothers.

The ASA said it was “insensitive” especially to “those with experience of loss or trauma around parenthood”.