Look like the days of investigative reporting are over in Iowa. This will definitely hurt activists trying to help dogs by infiltrating puppy mills. Feels like our freedoms are being taken away, one by one.
— Kenn
DES MOINES, Iowa (Reuters) – The Iowa state Senate voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday to impose penalties on animal rights activists caught trying to get a job at a farm or animal production facility in order to gather evidence such as cruelty to animals.
Senator Joe Seng, a Democrat, said animal rights activists with an agenda to expose conditions inside livestock confinements can expose the animals to disease.
“People are trying to get into these places, saying they’re a plumber or they’re this or that, they’re going to take care of your livestock with no intention of that whatsoever. They’re trying to bring down this business,” Seng said.
The Senate voted 40 to 10 to charge people caught in those situations with a serious misdemeanor.
The few opponents of the proposed law said it would turn whistleblowers exposing legitimate complaints into criminals at the expense of public health.
The attempt to legislate penalties follows a rash of animal rights activists — led by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) — infiltrating what they call “factory farms” including chicken and egg, hog and cattle production and processing facilities.
In one recent example, McDonald’s stopped buying from Sparboe, an egg supplier for its McMuffin sandwiches, after an undercover investigation by animal rights group Mercy For Animals found dead hens in cages and living chicks being discarded in plastic bags with dead ones. Sparboe unwittingly hired a Mercy For Animals activist to work at its facility.
Animal rights activists and consumer groups have recently won a string of victories against so-called factory farms.
Earlier this month, McDonald’s said it asked pork suppliers to phase out the use of crates confining sows while they are raising piglets.
Also last year, the Humane Society and U.S. egg producers agreed to work together to essentially double the size of the cages that the 280 million hens involved in U.S. egg production spend their lives in.
Alarmed by the activists, the Iowa House of Representatives last year voted to establish a prison sentence of up to 10 years for people caught going into a livestock confinement facility to take pictures or video of the animals and those who are caring for the livestock.
Members of the Iowa House said that chamber is likely to accept the Senate bill establishing the new penalties.
What the hell is the matter with the American Government….don’t they fricken know that puppy mills are prisons and inhumane for all pets…Give your heads a shake, God ol mighty…Maybe we should put all politicians in those kennels for, lets say, A WEEK…Maybe then will they see how aweful it is for our 4 legged friends!
This is absolutely ridiculous! If owners of animals would treat the animals with compassion, then those who are trying to help the animals would not want to expose the abuse and neglect so many of these animals suffer, especially dogs/puppies in puppy mills. The more puppies these dogs have, the more money the puppy mill breeders can make. Without the activists who care enough to try to expose the suffering of these dogs, they would have no voice at all. Their plight would be totally hopeless. These poor dogs are kept in deplorable conditions, not given veterinary care, exercise, etc. They are only there to produce a product – more puppy mill puppies to sell for profit. Puppy mills need to be exposed and the people responsible should be held accountable for the condition of these animals. A gag order will not help anyone except the puppy mill owner. Way to go Iowa!
Sounds to me like the politicians need to go on a few puppy mill rescue missions to understand the gravity of the situation the animals are in. Obviously not one of those individuals has ever seen the conditions first, or even second, hand. They won’t understand what they are condemning the animals too without seeing, hearing and smelling it for themselves. Let them sit and comfort a starving nameless female bred in a box until there is nothing left and she is a malnourished bag of bones. Or hold a young dog taking it’s last breath because no one has bothered to get it to the vet because that would have cost money and, after all, it’s just a dumb animal. Heartless asses.
a) If any other business owner hired someone who turned out to be a mole, they’d get reamed for not doing their due diligence. What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.
b) How many lobbyists do you think had to push to get this through.
Ridiculous.
talk about ‘back to front’ …………. the Iowa State Senate is more interested in protecting the rights of unscrupulous breeders and those keeping animals in cruel, cramped and unhealthy conditions THAN the welfare of the animals OR the rights of anyone who is concerned about animal welfare………….. talk about criminal!
Well, looks like undercover just needs to get better at undercover thats all. Super Ninja. I would risk it. Take a few lessons from GreenPeace. They risk life and limb. Amazing how they work. And until then, just need to keep fighting the laws, gotta be more diligent in finding out what the folks that we vote for stands on these matters of animal welfare.
What happened to Freedom of Speech?
What did you expect? This is the State that siezed Every Doberman away from even LOVING GOOD OWNERS,& proceeded euthenize them,After the STATE WIDE BAN on DOBERMAN PINSCHERS.AFTER that,they proposed a banning over 20 other b reeds,STATE WIDE! If our
e an ANIMAL LOVER,God bless you.If You LOVE YOUR DOG& ITS A DOBEY,DONT MOVE TO IOWA OR BRING YOUR DOG ANY WHERE NEAR IT! Iowa sounds like its run by a corrupt good ol boy network.Governer signs away ANIMAL RIGHTS as the FIRST DOG looks on.