Post By GreenZone
Bills presented in statehouses across the country would ban taking photos of farms without the explicit consent of farm owners, in some instances, even if such photos are taken from a public right-of-way. Such bills have been introduced recently in Florida, New York and Iowa. In addition, several states already have similar laws on the books.
At the weaver Farm
The proposed laws are aimed at so-called “whistle-blowers,” and seem to be part of a larger trend to protect factory farms from those who would “disparage food.” In recent years, animal rights groups have sent people posing as workers into plants to document their claims of extreme animal cruelty in slaughterhouses. In many cases they have obtained photos and video footage revealing mistreatment of animals and violations of food safety protocols.
Persons within the industry say that such laws are necessary to protect the image of factory farms and their operators. They also cite security concerns, likening some whistle-blowers’ activities to terrorism.
Some of the proposed legislation goes well beyond merely prohibiting taking such unauthorized photographs. The Iowa legislation specifically exempts persons taking photos from a public right of way. However, the bill would make possessing or distributing such photos a crime, even if the photos were obtained legally. (By way of comparison, the only material the mere possession of which is currently a crime, is child pornography and unauthorized possession of classified information.) The legislation creates a new class of criminal behavior called “animal facility interference.” Penalties would range up to 10 years in prison. Similar language is contained in both the Senate and House versions, Senate File 431 and House File 589, respectively.
A similar bill recently introduced in Minnesota, HF 1369, goes even further, defining a parallel violation that it calls “crop operation interference.” Penalties for violations would range up to 5 years’ imprisonment.
The Florida bill, SB 1246, was defeated recently, under pressure from a wide array of groups. Concerned parties ranged from the animal rights groups themselves, who worried that a valuable and hitherto legitimate tool in their campaign would suddenly become illegal, to media and photographers’ organizations, who cited Constitutional concerns. The bill would have made taking such photographs a first degree felony, and was criticized because it contained no exemption for those taking photos without trespassing on private property, such as professional photographers and even rural tourists, who occasionally take photos of farms in their travels.
Randel Agrella (GreenZone) is a Baker Creek Employee and an life long gardener.
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Computer searches on this topic will reveal much. I applaud the posting of this controversy by Baker Creek. I recognize its prime objective, which is to offer us the opportunity to purchase pure seed stock. Thank you. Among the many documentaries I recommend by title directly related to the daunting influence of corporations and corruption that costs taxpayers billions: The Corporation; Food, Inc., Capitalism: A Love Story; Inside Job; Sicko; The Smartest Guys in the Room; Iraq for Sale; Why We Fight. Many others. Available for purchase or rental.
Could you please post the states and bill numbers so others can read the bills and get the word out?
Americans are yet to realize as our complacency escalates that our representative democracy has been replaced by a corprotocricy. Food, Inc., the documentary, revealed shocking truths about the power of the food industry, including their publicity campaign against Oprah, and their efforts to prohibit the taking of photographs of their “farms.” Nothing new. The information is out there, but we choose to ignore it. I must disagree with the writer who is confident the courts will quickly resolve the matter. It’s the conservative, pro-business U.S. Supreme Court that ruled in favor of corporations and against natural persons in the Citizens United case. That ruling allows corporations unlimited spending in political campaigns because corporations are “persons” under the law. Anyone believe they have the same rights as Monsanto? The remedy is an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that protects the rights of natural persons. That will take the commitment and resolve of millions of Americans.
Cripple the banks; mortgage banks, credit unions, savings..anywhere you have money saved, take your money out of the bank, or don’t pay your mortgage..imagine if the entire 50 states didn’t pay their mortgage? what would happen..JP Morgan would collapse. There are ways to do it, I just hope people haven’t lost ALL of their spines.
Sorry didn’t mean to be anonymous . The Handle is alancoop . Monsanto will be tracking me down now . Whoops . You are only here once Enjoy . I read a book by Jack London once , think it was called the ‘ Iron Boot ‘ . Its all in there .
Can’t believe this . it’s all down to MONEY . We in Britain do not have a Constitution to protect us but it seems to me that yours is a bit out of whack and isn’t doing what it was meant to do .Still when you check out who wrote your Constitution they weren’t exactly the hoi poloi .
It’s down to us and what we have in our pockets and in the Pension funds . We have to take it BACK , but how ?
Hm, so my Genius deceased husband made our ranch compound appear under government satelites as the Dairy farmers farm down the road & hense they think there are two identical farms in our forest? Hm, this should be interesting? Good job Honey!
The felons ARE the ones who don’t want you photographing their crimes! The photographers are the good guys. Corporatocracy turns everything upside down. It’s Orwellian.
Get hold of the ACLU first, then go take pictures, get yourself arrested and then have the ACLU defend you on the constitutionalaty of these laws!
Pingback: Take a Photo of a Farm, Go To Prison | Garden Activist
If we don’t show up in the mailboxes and ballot boxes, state houses and town halls, we cannot win. But if we do, we can re-take this country. It is simple … make this the final term in office for – anyone – who supports such nonsense. Vote based on narrowly defined single issues; pushing back against the lobbyists point for point. Don’t worry about tossing out the baby with the bath water … these aren’t babies and they are taking a dump in the bathwater. In the media (blogs, tweets, letters to the editor, display ads … use your imagination), support any judge at any level who speaks out against corporations-as-people. As originally envisioned, corporations had specific charters and specific lifespans. Our legal system needs to return to that and drop the pretense that corporations need to have an independent freedom of speech. They already HAVE freedom of speech as vested in their stockholders who should not be granted superior rights of speech solely due to possession of a financial interest in the corporation. They should not be allowed to pool vast sums of money to influence the outcome of laws and even entire elections.
There are a lot of ‘should nots’ that have become entrenched ‘shoulds’. These fingers around our necks need to be peeled back, forever broken, and disposed of in fire.
This is appalling! What can any of us as concerned citizens with no power connections do?
Take a look at this article to see where this is all heading to …
http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=25160
OK folks, GoogleMaps is going to be charged and the US Government as well as all the satellite owners that take pictures are screwed too. Drones, aerial photographers and researchers get shuttered also. Oh maybe those are not pictures of the farm. Now the real estate broker needs a release and the local fire truck does too if they run a camera on the front bumper. WOW haven’t these factory animal and plant abusers (not to mention a worker or two) opened up a bigger picture? You would think they would have pride in themselves for their advanced 21st century operations.
They have taken away our 4th amendment rights in indiana and it seems like the constitution is being eroded with each passing day. Corporations and global banks have destroyed this country (and others throughout the world) and will continue to do so. They are using fear tactics and pure evil to accomplish this. We need to wake up before it is too late (if not already). Our children have no future if we don’t stand up now.
Thanks for letting us know about this. As they say, “Sunlight is the best disinfectant!” Not bad for the ‘maters either. I am a retired newspaper photographer and experienced many years of folks – government, corporate, and otherwise – trying to restrict free speech. The best thing we can do is to support small farmers and local farmers markets, while at the same time keeping an eye AND a camera on the megafood producers. With all their lobbying dollars they seem to have a stranglehold on politicians across the country. They’d like to convince us all that they can regulate themselves, just like the banks, insurance companies, developers, etc. Remember, it’s “We the people,” not We the Big Business! Keep up the good fight.
Big Corporations are ruling America. What are they hiding? Abuse of animals, Hormone fed beef, Frankenseeds by Monsanto and the list goes on….we are responsible…you and I for this change…not the government or corps, we have to take our country back. We have all got to wake up before it’s too late…though we may have reached the point of no return.
Well it just screams to me the usual: If you aren’t doing anything wrong (especially with the populations food) why does it need to be kept a secret? This in itself is enough to make me hope and pray I can eventually be self sustaining for myself and family. God doesn’t keep secrets & you know what ~ food is his til you do something to it he never would have & change the design.
People are already dying, the rate of sickness and early death is quickly rising here in the US, even with all our modern medicine. It is not only the lack of adequite healthcare, but also the poor state of health our mass food industry is in, high stress lifestyles along with a poor economy, radiation, oil spills etc. My grandparents are far healthier than any of their children or grandchildren. Even with the poor state of things these companies strong arm our country into its grave. The local movement in Vermont is a banner of true possibility to the rest of the nation – the possibility of a healthy economy, healthy people, and the upholding of the freedom and rights of the good citizens of this beloved nation.
I wish you all lived in my town. For a second, when I read all these comments, the world seems sane again.
On one hand, people who are not doing wrong (like good companies and people) have nothing to worry about. On the other hand, there has to be a modicum of privacy in business concerns. I say exempt farmers and small corporations, make the large corporations fair game for whistle-blowers, preserve journalistic rights, and wherever a law is a good idea, make the severity of the infraction fit the crime. Felony? PLEASE!
Well, let’s put it this way… they ugly side of capitalism.
God i cant wait to test this bill I’m coming for the bill. Just a matter of time.
Has anyone seen my country?
At this point, we’re all aware of the plight of animals on factory farms. We also know the answer: eat less meat (no I’m NOT advocating vegetarianism), raise your own or buy local, where you have more information about what you’re eating. For the government to forbid investigation into that industry is purely to support coverup for factory farms. It’s obscene.
The more greed and stupidity rule and take laws further away from people the shorter their rule will be I think and hope. I just don’t think people will be capable of taking such abuses especially when you start to have kids who have rich parents going to jail trying to do a good deed. This stuff has to end. The WHO suggests cell phones are a class B cancer causing material and today I see on the news that it is quickly being refuted. It’s the same formula as they’ve used in genetic foods. But as people start dying I’ll bet things start changing.
One issue that will come into play is the freedom of speech/press..much like photographing architecture, art, etc….if photographed for news/media rather then as a subject, little protection can be afforded for infringements..it would likely be one of those laws that is found to be riddled with loopholes and unenforceable, at best a moral victory for proponents.
Jeffrey Haskins http://www.ozarkscreations.com
Don’t count on it. Corporations 1st Amendment rights seem more and more to supercede those of individual rights.
What an absurd idea.
These laws patently violate the First Amendment, and the courts will strike them down as soon as they are invoked against anyone. However, they are very intimidating harassment of animal-rights and food activists.