VgT commercial: Aired after 16 years after all

In 1994, the VgT wanted to show a commercial on Swiss television in which pigs appeared: In the first half of the commercial, a free-living domestic pig is shown building a nest. In the second half, this animal is juxtaposed with pigs in a factory farm. At the end, a call is made to eat less meat. Swiss television refused to broadcast this commercial in 1994 on the grounds that it was political advertising.

Three courses to Strasbourg
After both the responsible department and the Federal Court upheld this decision, the VgT took the matter to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) for violation of freedom of expression - and won in 2001. The VgT prefaced its advertisement with a lead-in in which it referred to the initial broadcasting ban. Swiss television then refused to broadcast it again - this time citing the law against unfair competition.
This was followed by a request from the VgT to the Federal Supreme Court for a revision of the first ruling, the rejection of this revision and the VgT's renewed appeal to Strasbourg. However, this was not the end of the dispute. After the VgT was again upheld in Strasbourg, the Federal Department of Justice lodged an appeal and demanded a reassessment by the Grand Chamber of the ECtHR. In November of the same year, the Federal Supreme Court then approved the revision requested by the VgT. And at the end of January 2010, the commercial will now be broadcast with new footage of factory farming.

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