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Utah Governor Signs Dangerous and
Unconstitutional "Ag-Gag" Bill into Law
March 26, 2012 By Nathan Runkle, MFA
In a setback to freedom of speech, freedom of
press, food safety, and animal welfare, Utah Governor Gary Herbert has caved in
to pressure from factory farm interests by signing into law a dangerous and
far-reaching bill that seeks to silence whistleblowers and shield animal abusers
from public scrutiny. By enacting a law that criminalizes undercover
investigations revealing cruelty to animals, corporate corruption, unsafe
working conditions, environmental violations, or food safety issues at factory
farms, Governor Herbert has helped turn factory farms in the state into safe
havens for criminal and unethical conduct.
In an interview with the Salt Lake Tribune, Sterling Brown, vice president for
public policy for the Utah Farm Bureau, shows his willingness to deceive and
misrepresent the crucial role undercover investigations have played in improving
society by claiming, "These individuals and organizations have done more of a
disservice than anything positive."
The truth is that investigations have led to innumerable positive changes - not
only bringing animal abusers to justice, but also safeguarding the American food
supply. In fact, the largest beef recall in U.S. history was prompted by
hidden-camera footage recorded by an animal welfare organization. The startling
footage exposed "downed" cows - those too sick or injured to walk - being
kicked, hit, pushed with fork lifts, water-hosed, and electrically prodded onto
the kill floor at a California slaughterhouse as USDA inspectors looked on. The
slaughter of downed cows is particularly concerning because of the cows'
heightened risk of carrying "mad cow" disease, salmonella and E. coli.
U.S. Rep. George Miller told USA Today that the recall "raises alarming
questions about the U.S. Department of Agriculture's ability to monitor the
safety of meat that is being shipped to our nation's schools. It is outrageous
that it took a non-governmental organization to shed light on the egregious
abuses that were happening right under the USDA's nose."
Undercover investigations by Mercy For Animals
and other groups have also led to groundbreaking corporate animal welfare policy
changes, new and improved laws to protect farmed animals and the environment,
felony and misdemeanor convictions of animal abusers, and the closure of
especially corrupt animal facilities.
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