Matt Dominguez (HSUS) and Cheryl Leahy (Compassion Over Killing) joined me recently for a discussion exploring ag-gag legislation. These anti-whistleblower laws aim to mandate consumer ignorance, promote animal cruelty, threaten food safety, and undercut the right of citizens to have legislators serving the will of ‘We the People’ (vs. They the Food Industry Megacorporations). Industry relies on public ignorance about these destructive bills — don’t let ’em have it. Listen, share, resist!
Summary
AG GAG LAWS ARE A PROBLEM. Listen!
For further reading — AFTER you listen! — here are some of the links we reference during the interview:
- Wyoming Pig Farm Workers Charged with Animal Cruelty: What Can You Do to Stop It?
- Undercover Investigation (Again) Reveals Butterball Cruelty; Turkey-Eating Public Carries Blithely On
- Undercover Video Reveals Cruelty to Dairy Cows (Again!), Forces Shutdown of CA Slaughterhouse
- Anti-Whistleblower Bills Hide Factory-Farming Abuses from the Public
It’s not just criminal offenses that industry hopes to keep secret — it’s the everyday reality of industrial animal farming. Undercover investigators have played a key role in raising public awareness about real-life conditions for farmed animals; factory farmers greatly prefer consumer ignorance, please and thank you, even (perhaps especially) for industry practices that are perfectly legal and routine.
For example…
NO.
Unacceptable!
If you live in a state with pending ag-gag bills (especially Indiana or Tennesee!), and think that this type of legislation represents the opposite of what a sane society should tolerate — make your voice heard!
Find your legislators here, and tell ’em what you think about ag-gag bills! Also be sure to find out what’s going on in your state and touch base with your Humane Society coordinator. Then contact Matt at mdominguez@humanesociety.org for how to get more involved in actively working to end the pro-cruelty, pro-criminal, pro-ignorance, anti-transparency, anti-animal, anti-consumer, anti-democracy ag-gag foolishness.
Support the work of COK, HSUS, and other organizations united against ag-gag legislation every chance you get: they are fighting for a world in which our food system reflects our values, and our laws protect the public good (vs. that of unelected corporate profiteers).
These laws thrive on consumer ignorance and apathy: deny them both, by sharing this information with everyone you know!
Image courtesy of HSUS, all rights reserved.
Originally published March 30, 2013 on Progressive Kitch.
