Squabble over farmers' posters
Members of the Bernese farmers' organization Lobag have misappropriated an image poster of the Swiss Farmers' Union for election recommendations. Lobag has now called off its members.
The Swiss Farmers' Union (SBC) has criticized the misuse of its image campaign for the federal elections. As reported by SDA, members of the Bernese farmers' organization Lobag had affixed a sticker to the posters in the run-up to the National Council and Council of States elections referring to the Vertrauenswuerdig.ch website. Election recommendations can be found on the website. The SBC's posters were designed as image advertising for the farming community throughout Switzerland - with celebrities in farming shirts such as seven-time Formula 1 world champion Michael Schumacher, singer Stefan Eicher and presenter Michelle Hunziker. However, the celebrities had not offered their support for an election advertisement, explained SBC spokesperson Sandra Helfenstein in justifying the reprimand to the Bernese association Lobag.
Lobag Managing Director Donat Schneider told SDA that various members had procured the posters via SBC or Lobag and then affixed the stickers on their own initiative. The members have now been instructed to remove the stickers. However, the election recommendations on Vertrauenswuerdig.ch concerned non-party and only farmer candidates. It is therefore not advertising for a party, but for the profession in general.
