December 14, 2018

On October 25, TIR filed a complaint against the program "David Rocco - Süsse Indien-Küche" with the Swiss-German SRG ombudsman's office on the basis of articles 4 and 5 of the Federal Act on Radio and Television (RTVA). During the program, the cook and host David Rocco demonstrates how crabs are "cleaned" in Goa (India) before being cooked. The crab's claws are thereby torn off and their shell removed while the animal is still alive and conscious. View the sequence described here.

This "cleaning" method causes the crabs extreme pain and suffering and is legally considered an act of animal cruelty in Switzerland and is punishable according to article 26 of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). In its complaint, TIR criticizes the fact that the program fails to critically point out the obvious animal welfare-related relevance of the crabs' treatment. On the contrary, David Rocco, enthusiastically describes the "cleaning" of the animals as a challenge, while removing its claws and shell while it is fully conscious. In TIR's opinion, this uncritical portrayal of animal cruelty violates the requirement laid down in the RTVA, according to which radio or television program content "may not endanger public morals or glorify or trivialize violence".

The editorial staff responsible commented on the complaint lodged by TIR and noted that the practice used in the program to prepare live animals for cooking was neither questioned nor commented by the SRG and also found this fact quite irritating. The editorial staff stated that it understands TIR's concerns and the fact that the show could be unsettling for a sensitive audience. It also decided to refrain from further broadcasting of this specific program.

In his assessment of the program, the deputy ombudsman also stated that he could very well understand that the practice shown in the video could be unsettling for viewers. He also pointed out the fact that SRG broadcasted a show depicting the torture of an animal without critically commenting on this. It would have been necessary to explicitly make viewers aware of this practice of "crab cleaning" and its animal welfare-related implications. From a journalistic standpoint, it would have been necessary for the SRG to distance itself from the method shown in the program and to explain that the practice is part of the Indian cuisine but is legally considered animal cruelty in Switzerland. Read the ombudsman's full report here (in German).