The Keurslager organisation, an association formed by some 400 independent butchers in the Netherlands, has won this year’s prize for the most misleading marketing information in terms of animal welfare.

Supporters of animal rights group Wakker Dier vote every year for the worst liegebeest or liar and this year 18,000 people took part. Some 40% voted for the Keurslager group, which says its members offer high quality meat with an eye for animal welfare.

‘Lots of people trust their Keurslager and think they are above board, but you could still come across super-fast growing chicken on their shelves,’ Wakker Dier spokesman Kenny Oostrik said. ‘Every butcher checks their own meat and decides what they sell.’

The claim that member butchers keep an eye on animal welfare is also false, Oostrik said. ‘The organisation does not require members subscribe to any animal welfare standards,’ he said.

The Keurslager association director Joep Klaver told broadcaster NOS in a reaction that the animal rights group is wrong to say that its members do not pay attention to animal welfare. ‘We don’t lie,’ he said.

Wakker Dier says the annual vote would appear to have an impact on marketing. This year, for example, two nominees for the title were withdrawn after agreeing to change their products or packaging.

Last year’s winner was chicken farm Kloeke Kip (brave chicken) from Grubbevorst, which had been advertising its product as ‘honest chicken’, ‘stress free’ and ‘focused on the welfare of the animal’