Victory! New York and Iowa Ag Gag Bills Die

Following failure in Florida and Minnesota, the New York and Iowa state legislative sessions have come to a close without the passage of their Ag Gag bills. which would have criminalized undercover investigations of farms.

These bills, which were openly promoted by agribusiness, would have silenced whistle blowers and made it illegal for anyone to take or possess photos or video on farms, while agribusinesses would have been left unaccountable.

Iowa’s bill died, ironically, right on the heels of yet another undercover investigation released by Mercy for Animals of Iowa Select Farms in Kamrar, Iowa, the fourth largest pork producer in the U.S.

Those who can stomach going undercover to document the cruelty that Big Ag would happily keep contained behind closed doors have exposed cruel treatment, which has lead to criminal charges being filed, in addition to new regulations being put in place. These investigations also provide an opportunity for the public to make informed choices about what they consume, along with providing people with the ability to make decisions about acceptable standard industry practices and reform of animal cruelty laws.

While it’s a victory for animals and the First Amendment now, there is a chance they could be brought back next year.

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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Kathy P.

3:57AM PDT on Mar 21, 2012

This is a victory for our animals. They must be protected.

send a green star

Pamylle G.

8:27AM PST on Feb 18, 2012

Hooray !

Veronique L.

2:47AM PST on Feb 18, 2012

That's good news indeed!

Tricia H.

11:09AM PDT on Oct 10, 2011

Shame on our Government for not allowing people to see how they are killed for your food.

Donna H.

5:58PM PDT on Sep 18, 2011

Thanks for the good news.

KrassiAWAY B.

4:04AM PDT on Jul 28, 2011

Thank you for the good news.

Marianne P.

4:20PM PDT on Jul 17, 2011

Thanks goodness, great news :) It's hard enough to stop animal abuse in farms without criminalizing efforts to investigate them.

Christa L.

1:49PM PDT on Jul 16, 2011

I'm glad they were unable to stop investigations.All agribusinesses should be inspected regularly. Better yet we should all become vegans, it's better for our health and better for the animals.

Hege T.

2:21PM PDT on Jul 9, 2011

Thanks.

Cristian G.

8:08PM PDT on Jul 7, 2011

Things will change, like everything it just takes time for the world to know the truth.