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Hidden Cameras On Agricultural Property May Be Prohibited in Utah
Josh Loftin, Huffington Post, 2/27/12
350 words
House Bill 187 in Utah, which would make it a misdemeanor to film on farms, ranches, and dairies in the state is in the process of being passed by Representative John Mathis. This bill would make it virtually impossible to catch animal cruelty. Many animal activist groups are fighting against this, including PETA, because they think it's wrong to penalize people who uncover animal cruelty. In addition, activist groups think that if the farmers were farming responsibly, they would have nothing to hide, and thus should not pass the bill. Many of the representatives are ranchers themselves, and all support the passing of the bill. Representative Mike Noel, a rancher himself, thinks that out-of-state organizations will have little effect on the process. He said, "Nobody wants to go and slop around in cow manure... And they certainly don't want some jackwagon coming in and taking a picture of them."
Clearly this is a difficult subject. Though bills similar to this in Iowa, Florida and Minnesota have failed, it is apparent that the ranchers of Utah are very serious about the matter. It will take work to get this bill to pass, but even more work to oppose it.
As if our agricultural system wasn't backwards enough, now Congress wants to put another layer of secrecy in front of an already shady industry. Americans don't realize it yet, but the agricultural industry has been slashing people's first amendment right to free speech for a while now. Oprah went through a multi-million dollar legal defense when she said something a which upset an agriculture tycoon's image. I think it's wrong restrict any sort of knowledge transfer, especially when the knowledge is the truth about how our food is prepared.
ReplyDeleteI think it is not virtual to taking steps on farmers, as individuals' securities. Besides the lacking of reasons, this bill is pointless at every standard. Instead of setting cameras all around the farms, the Congress should be more productive on making effective bills that can helps the agriculture, and yet, with good reasons.
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