Iowa’s agriculture industry is upset at the repeated releases of secretly filmed videos claiming to show the mistreatment of farm animals.
Now the agg industry is pushing legislation that would make it illegal for animal rights activists to produce and distribute such images.
Agriculture committees in the Iowa House and Senate have approved a bill that would prohibit such recordings and punish people who take agriculture jobs only to gain access to animals to record their treatment.
Proposed penalties? Fines of up to $7,500 and up to five years in prison.
“They’re trying to intimidate whistleblowers and put a chill on legitimate anti-cruelty investigations. Clearly the industry feels that it has something to hide or it wouldn’t be going to these extreme and absurd lengths,”
said Bradley Miller, national director of the Humane Farming Association. Jeff Kerr, general counsel for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, agrees. He says the Iowa legislation is misguided, at best.
“They’re trying to criminalize someone being an eye witness to a crime. The people who do the very difficult job of documenting that criminal conduct should be applauded.”
This bill will only hurt the American public and help the agriculture industry.
This bill will only pass if Iowa’s Senators give in to bribes or pressure from the industry.
[Image via WENN.]
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