Posted January 16, 2014
An Indiana Senate Committee recently delayed a vote on
a proposed “ag-gag” or farm trespasser bill, according to an article by the
Associated Press, available here.
Senate Bill 101, available here, “aims to
protect farmers who say that unwanted visitors could hurt their business by
taking unflattering photos or sharing trade secrets.” Possible penalties include felony charges.
The bill was originally intended to curb “secret
videotaping at Indiana farms” and was rewritten this session to focus on
trespassing,” after animal rights groups expressed concerns that the bill would
discourage whistleblowers from reporting animal cruelty, according to an
article by the Indiana Business Journal available here.
State Sen. Travis Holdman (R-Markle) said he
introduced the original bill when he learned of an “animal feed delivery man
who videotaped conditions on a private farm to post on YouTube.” Negotiations, however, between the House and Senate
last year, resulted in a revision that changed the focus to employment
application fraud. This year,
negotiators have revised the bill again, focusing on penalties for farm
trespassers.
A vote was scheduled for Tuesday, but the Indiana
Senate Criminal Law Committee delayed the vote after several proposed
amendments, according to Chairman Mike Young (R-Indianapolis).
Animal rights organizations are opposed to the
bill. Humane Society of the United
States (HSUS) spokesman Matthew Dominguez said, “No matter how it’s drafted,
we’re going to be opposed to it…People have a right to know how animals are
treated on these industrial farms, and passing a law that punishes
whistleblowers is not good.”
For more information on animal welfare, please visit
the National Agricultural Law Center’s website here.
