Do you have a right to know where that
steak on your plate came from? Should it be legal to photograph chicken
farms and dairy cows?
Big Agriculture says you don’t and it shouldn't Armies of Big Ag lobbyists are pushing for new state-level laws across the country to keep us all in the dark. Less restrictive versions have been law in some states since the 1980s, but the meat industry has ratcheted up a radical new campaign.
Big Agriculture says you don’t and it shouldn't Armies of Big Ag lobbyists are pushing for new state-level laws across the country to keep us all in the dark. Less restrictive versions have been law in some states since the 1980s, but the meat industry has ratcheted up a radical new campaign.
The FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force has
kept files on activists who expose animal welfare abuses on factory
farms and recommended prosecuting them as terrorists, according to a
document uncovered through the Freedom of Information Act back in 2011.
This wave of “ag-gag” bills will criminalize whistle-blowers
investigators, and journalists who expose animal welfare abuses at
factory farms and slaughterhouses. Ten states considered “ag-gag” bills
last year, and Iowa, Missouri, and Utah approved them.
“Ag-gag” bills are being introduced
around the country in an attempt to censor whistle-blowers
investigators, and journalists who expose animal welfare abuses on
factory farms and slaughterhouses.
Investigations by groups like the Humane Society, Mercy for Animals, and Compassion Over Killing have exposed shocking animal cruelty and consumer health dangers in the food industry. They have led to the largest meat recall in US history, criminal charges, and international media exposure.
Rather than put a stop to these abuses, corporations are trying to criminalize the whistle-blowers who expose them.
Investigations by groups like the Humane Society, Mercy for Animals, and Compassion Over Killing have exposed shocking animal cruelty and consumer health dangers in the food industry. They have led to the largest meat recall in US history, criminal charges, and international media exposure.
Rather than put a stop to these abuses, corporations are trying to criminalize the whistle-blowers who expose them.
Amy Meyer wanted to see the
slaughterhouse for herself. She had heard that anyone passing by could
view the animals, so she drove to Dale Smith Meatpacking Company in
Draper City, Utah, and from the side of the road she could see through
the barbed-wire fence. Piles of horns littered the property. Cows
struggled with workers who tried to lead them into a building. And one
scene in particular made her stop.
“A live cow who appeared to be sick or injured being carried away from the building in a tractor,” Meyer told me, “as though she were nothing more than rubble.”
“A live cow who appeared to be sick or injured being carried away from the building in a tractor,” Meyer told me, “as though she were nothing more than rubble.”
As she witnessed this, Meyer did what most of us would in the age of smart phones and YouTube: she recorded.
When the slaughterhouse manager came outside and told her to stop, she replied that she was on the public easement and had the right to film. When police arrived, she said told them the same thing. According to the police report, the manager said she was trespassing and crossed over the barbed-wire fence, but the officer noted “there was no damage to the fence in my observation.”
When the slaughterhouse manager came outside and told her to stop, she replied that she was on the public easement and had the right to film. When police arrived, she said told them the same thing. According to the police report, the manager said she was trespassing and crossed over the barbed-wire fence, but the officer noted “there was no damage to the fence in my observation.”
Meyer was allowed to leave. She later found out she was being prosecuted under the state’s new “ag-gag” law.
This is the first prosecution in the country under one of these laws, which are designed to silence undercover investigators who expose animal welfare abuses on factory farms. The legislation is a direct response to a series of shocking investigations by groups like the Humane Society, Mercy for Animals, and Compassion Over Killing that have led to plant closures, public outrage, and criminal charges against workers.
Even the most sweeping ag-gag bills, such as the American Legislative Exchange Council model legislation, don’t explicitly target filming from a roadside. But Nebraska, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Vermont are all considering bills similar to the Utah law right now.
Pennsylvania’s bill criminalizes anyone who “records an image of, or sound from, the agricultural operation” or who “uploads, downloads, transfers or otherwise sends” the footage using the Internet.
This is the first prosecution in the country under one of these laws, which are designed to silence undercover investigators who expose animal welfare abuses on factory farms. The legislation is a direct response to a series of shocking investigations by groups like the Humane Society, Mercy for Animals, and Compassion Over Killing that have led to plant closures, public outrage, and criminal charges against workers.
Even the most sweeping ag-gag bills, such as the American Legislative Exchange Council model legislation, don’t explicitly target filming from a roadside. But Nebraska, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Vermont are all considering bills similar to the Utah law right now.
Pennsylvania’s bill criminalizes anyone who “records an image of, or sound from, the agricultural operation” or who “uploads, downloads, transfers or otherwise sends” the footage using the Internet.
North Carolina’s
bill doesn't specifically mention factory farms or slaughterhouses: it
is called the “Commerce Protection Act,” and it includes investigations
of any industry. It was introduced on the same day a fifth employee of
Butterball pleaded guilty to animal cruelty after an undercover
investigation showed workers beating turkeys.
Tennessee’s bill has already passed and is awaiting signature from the governor. In response to calls for a veto from the Humane Society and Carrie Underwood, one state representative compared undercover investigations to rape and sex-trafficking.
California’s ag-gag bill recently failed, after a massive public backlash. One newspaper editorial said “the cattlemen have committed the worst PR gaffe since New Coke.” The bill was a response to an undercover investigation by the Humane Society that showed “downer” cows, too sick to move, being pushed by tractors (much like what Amy Meyer recorded in Utah). It led to the largest meat recall in U.S. history.
Tennessee’s bill has already passed and is awaiting signature from the governor. In response to calls for a veto from the Humane Society and Carrie Underwood, one state representative compared undercover investigations to rape and sex-trafficking.
California’s ag-gag bill recently failed, after a massive public backlash. One newspaper editorial said “the cattlemen have committed the worst PR gaffe since New Coke.” The bill was a response to an undercover investigation by the Humane Society that showed “downer” cows, too sick to move, being pushed by tractors (much like what Amy Meyer recorded in Utah). It led to the largest meat recall in U.S. history.
The public backlash against these bills, including recent editorials by the New York Times and Washington Post,
has relied on hypothetical examples of how they could be used. The
AFL-CIO and Teamsters say they could put workers at risk. The ASPCA says
they could shut down lawful investigations by animal protection groups.
The National Press Photographers Association says they could wrap up
journalists.
The first ag-gag prosecution should be a warning that these aren’t hypothetical concerns. These bills have one purpose: keep consumers in the dark. Rather than respond to video footage of animal cruelty with across-the-board reforms, the industry is trying to turn off the cameras.
The first ag-gag prosecution should be a warning that these aren’t hypothetical concerns. These bills have one purpose: keep consumers in the dark. Rather than respond to video footage of animal cruelty with across-the-board reforms, the industry is trying to turn off the cameras.
It’s telling that the owner of the
slaughterhouse Amy Meyer filmed happens to be Darrell H. Smith, the town
mayor. (Mayor Smith, the meatpacking company, and the local prosecutor
did not return phone calls for comment). If that’s shocking to you,
it shouldn't be. In Iowa, for example, the nation’s first ag-gag law was
sponsored by Rep. Annette Sweeney, who is the former director of the
Iowa Angus Association.
In Utah, the bill’s sponsor, Rep. John Mathis, called undercover investigators “animal rights terrorists” and
said video recordings of animal abuse are “propaganda.” In his opening
remarks at a legislative hearing on the ag-gag bill, Mathis said: “It’s
fun to see my good ag friends in this committee… all my good friends are
here.” Ag-gag supporters couldn't be any more transparent in their
financial motivations for censorship.
It was prescient that, as the Utah bill
was being considered, the Utah Sentencing Commission warned that it
could be used against anyone who merely takes a photograph of a farm or
slaughterhouse. At the time, Rep. Greg Hughes of Draper replied:
“Who would really pursue that in terms of prosecution?” Now, the first
ag-gag prosecution is for precisely that, in his own district.
Most people won’t ever find themselves in the position of Amy Meyer, of course. Few of us actively seek out information about how our food is produced. (Do you know the location of a factory farm, if you wanted to?) The animal products just arrive at the supermarket, without investigation or thought.
Most people won’t ever find themselves in the position of Amy Meyer, of course. Few of us actively seek out information about how our food is produced. (Do you know the location of a factory farm, if you wanted to?) The animal products just arrive at the supermarket, without investigation or thought.
With ag-gag bills, the industry is trying
to keep it that way. These bills are not just about animal activists
from national organizations going undercover. They are about people like
Amy Meyer, who have seen how animals are being treated, and who want
you to see what they have seen.
Most importantly, ag-gag bills are about you — the millions of Americans who might see this footage, be sickened by it, and demand a change.
Most importantly, ag-gag bills are about you — the millions of Americans who might see this footage, be sickened by it, and demand a change.
Source:
www.greenisthenewred.com
http://worldtruth.tv
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