Cheese logo criticised for using censored Cerne Abbas Giant

A cheese company has been criticised for its use of a 180ft naked chalk figure - with an important omission.

The Oxford Cheese Company printed the Cerne Abbas Giant on a label for one of its products, but without its penis.

Cerne Abbas Brewery, which also uses the giant's image, said the company had "exploited" the popular attraction.

The cheese company said it also uses the uncensored image, but created a logo with "trousers" at the request of a major supermarket chain.

The firm advertises the new product on its website as Cerne Abbas Waxed Cheddar from Britain.

But in a Facebook post the brewery said it had misused the image by removing the giant's historic symbol of fertility.

It said: "The Oxford Cheese Company you are a disgrace! We are strongly proud of our heritage and to deface a national monument to sell some smelly old cheese is a disgrace."

Head brewer Vic Irvine said he was "absolutely disgusted" with the company.

"First of all they're not in Dorset and second they've emasculated him. I'm incandescent with rage," he added.

But cheese company founder Robert Pouget said it had used the full image of the giant for 15 years, and only made the alternative label after a complaint from a supermarket.

He said: "A member of their staff objected to his prominent feature and said it was sexist. The supermarket said please give him trousers."

This is not the first time the brewery has come out to defend the monument.

In 2016, the logo was covered by a paper fig leaf in a Houses of Parliament bar where it caused "some consternation", according to Parliamentary beer group chairman and MP Andrew Griffiths.

"A photocopy of a fig leaf was Blu-tacked in the strategic place", he said.

Follow BBC South on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].