Big argiculture corps wants to make exposing cruelty illegal

Post Reply New Topic

"Big Ag Wants To Make It a Crime to Expose Animal Abuse at Factory Farms

Lawmakers in Florida and Iowa have introduced bills to establish criminal penalties for going undercover at agricultural facilities and simply taking pictures."

Pretty sickening to me. If there ever is the abuse of life going on then no way should it become a crime to expose it.

See article for details (pages 1 and 2 of 2):
http://www.alternet.org/story/150312/bi ... L&rd=1&t=6
http://www.alternet.org/story/150312/bi ... rms?page=2

_________________
<Insert meaningful signature here>

Many major abuses of animals have been discovered by undercover people who use hidden cameras. If we were to just inform the suspected industries that 'inspection is on this day at this time' then the abuses will never be discovered. You absolutely cannot take an industry known for abuses' word for it. Then again the US media is working very hard to make the idea of whistle-blowing as unpatriotic as possible

Morality plays a massive part though. Is it right for animals to be at greater risk of abuse?

BTW, most of the time is was not exposed under trespassing but done by people who got jobs at the facilities then filmed once there, but yes I guess that that comes under the private property rules.

Would you be happy if there were a prison with no CCTV where people could be abused? If the answer is no, then why should similar precautions be banned from protecting the lives of animals?

_________________
<Insert meaningful signature here>

This wouldn't just prevent animal cruelty from being discovered but would make it more difficult to ascertain whether sanitation procedures are being followed in a prompt and legal fashion

I agree with the both of you. Surprise visits will definitely help.

I still personally find it a good idea for undercover people who are working there to try and film things, because if direct violence is happening it wont make a difference if the inspector shows up or not, as the people would obviously not act the same in front of them.

_________________
<Insert meaningful signature here>

When it comes to abusing animals / humans I think that it is justified to expose it.

CCTV Cameras everywhere would be a massive improvement. I'd rather have that reassurance and the reassurance of investigations by employees.

_________________
<Insert meaningful signature here>

Surprise visits would help with sanitation and living conditions, but it would not help with the actual abuse of animals by workers unless the inspectors were invisible/hidden/in disguise.

Why should atheists care as to whether or not something is humane? I just don't get the logic behind concern over how your next meal was killed?


For the record, I am concerned with how animals are treated, however for me it is partially out of religious reasons that we are all God's creations.