The Countryside Alliance has accused the BBC of ‘picking the wrong target’ ahead of its  internal impartiality review of Countryfile.

Last week, the BBC announced that it has set up a review of its Countryfile programme, which has been on air since 1988, after some viewers complained it was being "biased and unfair".

Tim Bonner, the Alliance’s Chief Executive said: “The worst of the BBC’s rural output is pseudo-scientific, anthropomorphic nonsense on programmes like Springwatch and Autumnwatch. The Alliance has also had some concerns about Farming Today, which purports to be programming for the farming community and the countryside, but in fact tends to follow the agenda of environmental and animal rights NGOs, as does BBC national news”

“Countryfile’s output is so anodyne that rows over impartiality are hardly likely to be common. It is classic Sunday night television which can be superficial but remains incredibly popular with an average of 6 million viewers every week. The main criticism of Countryfile I hear is not about impartiality, but that it is programming about the countryside, rather than for the countryside.”

He added: “Perhaps the reason that the BBC has chosen to review the impartiality of its least controversial rural programme is to avoid the elephant in the room which is the platform it continues to give one of its highest profile presenters, Chris Packham, to carry out some of the most partial campaigning imaginable”.

Upon taking up the role of BBC Director General in 2020, Tim Davie said: “If you want to be an opinionated columnist or a partisan campaigner on social media then that is a valid choice, but you should not be working at the BBC”.

Yet, Mr. Bonner argued: “Chris Packham has continued to be the most partisan of social media warriors with absolutely no comeback or comment from his employers”.

In November 2020, Mr. Packham appeared to break the new anti-bias rules on Twitter when he retweeted Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner's tirade against "sickening" Conservatives to his 444,000 followers, sparking calls for Tim Davie to ‘get tough’.

The Countryside Alliance is urging rural viewers to share their views on the BBC and its rural programming so that the organisation can represent them to the review on impartiality.

Click here to take part.