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A federal judge has ruled that Utah's ban on secretly filming farm and slaughterhouse operations is unconstitutional:
[U.S. District Judge Robert Shelby] rejected the state's defense of the law, saying Utah had failed to show the ban was intended to ensure the safety of animals and farm workers from disease or injury.
In his ruling, Shelby noted that one of the bill's sponsors in the state legislature, Rep. John Mathis, said the ban was a response to "a trend nationally of some propaganda groups ... with a stated objective of undoing animal agriculture in the United States." The judge noted that another sponsor, Sen. David Hinkins said it targeted "vegetarian people that [are] trying to kill the animal industry."
Ag-gag is a term used to describe a class of anti-whistleblower laws that apply within the agriculture industry.
Previously: Dairy Lobbyist Crafted Idaho's "Ag-Gag" Legislation
Federal Judge Strikes Down Idaho's "Ag-Gag" Law
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 10 2017, @06:25AM
Farmer here: I'm all for exposing misdeeds, and in commercial operations no real expectation of privacy should apply.
Hell, it would be simpler to simply have a regular video feed from every operation. Tamper-evident, direct to whomever, government can look in any time.
What I do have a problem with is the sort of case where those videos get fabricated. In my experience, because a union wanted to play hardball with management. Shocking stuff! Hideous displays of depravity and filth! Then the USDA comes in, turns the place over, shakes it hard, and discovers not a damn thing except that the union was being shitheads. And ... nothing happens to the union.
Seriously, no fraud charges, no wasting time, no damages, no libel, no nothing. "Sorry fellas, we caught you out. Try harder next time!"