Animal agribusiness interests are working feverishly to pass state-level anti-whistleblower laws aimed at criminalizing undercover investigations. In 2012, such laws passed in Iowa and Utah, and so far this year, “ag-gag” bills have been introduced in nearly a dozen states. Why?
This past weekend the Humane Society of the United States hosted the 27th annual Genesis Awards, a star-studded event that honors news and entertainment media for its role in raising awareness about animal protection issues.
Whether it’s television, print news, radio, film, or music, media has the power to shape—and change—social attitudes as well as our behaviors for the good. To celebrate the important role that news and entertainment media play in raising awareness about animal protections issues, the Humane Society of the United States hosts the annual Genesis Awards.
Imagine the misery of being intensively confined day in and day out inside a tiny, overcrowded space with barely enough room to move. Now imagine being stuck there starving and thirsty without any food or water, and there’s no way you can escape.
While factory farmers, food manufacturers, and retailers play the blame game in Europe over the discovery of horse DNA in various beef products, a significant number of British consumers are responding by not just avoiding the possibly tainted beef, but eating less meat overall.
“The reality of food processing can be off-putting… There is always a percentage of dead birds [and] chicken houses that will inherently contain a level of fly and rodent activity.” – Ron Kreider, President of Kreider Farms, responds to new undercover video
Des Moines Register, an Iowa Farm Bureau employee was caught on camera doing, well, something he might not have done had he known a camera was present. What was he doing? Urinating on female coworkers’ chairs. And where was this camera set up? In the Iowa Farm Bureau’s office, of course.
Just a few short weeks after Iowa shamefully enacted an “ag-gag” bill in an effort to stop undercover investigations inside factory farms, Utah is now joining the list. Yesterday, Utah Governor Gary Herbert signed an “ag-gag” bill into law that makes “agriculture operation interference” a crime, punishable by up to one year in jail. What exactly is “agricultural operation interference”?
Agribusiness interests in Iowa desperately don’t want you to see this COK video: In fact, Iowa Ag has been feverishly pushing through a state-level ”ag-gag” bill aimed at criminalizing undercover investigations, like COK’s, that shine a bright light on the cruel and inhumane treatment of animals rampantly found on factory farms. Shamefully, Iowa’s Governor signed this dangerous bill into law late last week.
