Issue

Ag-Gag Laws

Ag-Gag laws seek to “gag” would-be whistleblowers and undercover activists by punishing them for recording footage of what goes on in animal agriculture.

As the name suggests, Ag-Gag laws seek to “gag” would-be whistleblowers and undercover activists by punishing them for recording footage of what goes on in animal agriculture. They were originally designed to prevent the public from learning about animal cruelty.

Stop Ag-Gag Laws

Undercover investigations and whistleblowers have exposed some of the worst aspects of factory farming, but Ag-Gag laws punish people who speak out about cruelty in animal agriculture. Voice your opposition.

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More recently, as is the case in North Carolina and Arkansas, states are passing laws which not only criminalize whistleblowing in agricultural facilities but any private business, including hospitals, elder care facilities, veteran care facilities, and schools.

Why Are Ag-Gag Laws Harmful?

The ability to investigate, document, and publicize corporate agriculture’s abuses is imperative both to the well-being of animals across the nation—and to our own health and safety.

Factory farms want to keep their cruel practices hidden from the public, but the public deserves the truth about the billions of animals suffering on industrial farms and whether laws are being broken, jeopardizing food safety, workers’ rights, and environmental standards.

Undercover investigations have revealed severe animal abuse on factory farms — animals beaten, kicked, maimed and thrown. These investigations have also exposed standard industry practices like the confinement of pregnant and nursing pigs in crates too small for them to turn around, the removal of horns and tails from animals without anesthesia, and sick and downed cows dragged on the ground before they are slaughtered.

The Latest About Ag-Gag Laws

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The Animal Agriculture Industry: Liability Proof?

Earlier this summer, the driver of a pig transport truck struck and killed longtime animal advocate Regan Russell. The circumstances regarding her death are not fully known to the public, but top to bottom, the animal agriculture industry is rarely held accountable.
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Whistleblowers Sought as COVID-19 Ravages Industrial Animal Agriculture Industry

A series of billboards, in English and Spanish, are launching near slaughterhouses across the country — offering an online tip portal where industrial animal agriculture workers can report any concerns. Joaquin Phoenix partnered with the Animal Legal Defense Fund in offering and promoting ReportAnimalAg.com to allow individuals to remain anonymous.
New White Paper Identifies Root Causes of Zoonotic Disease: Animal Exploitation

New White Paper Identifies Root Causes of Zoonotic Disease: Animal Exploitation

The Animal Legal Defense Fund, the preeminent legal advocate for animals, released the first in a series of white papers providing policy recommendations to reduce our heightened risk from zoonotic diseases like COVID-19 and the next global pandemic, which need only a human-animal interaction to arise.
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As COVID Pummels Slaughterhouse Workers, Meat Companies Won’t Slow Down

The USDA and its meat corporation clientele are resisting calls to halt or even delay slaughterhouses’ adoption of the controversial high-speed, deregulated pig and poultry slaughter inspection systems.

See a timeline of key dates in the Animal Legal Defense Fund’s opposition to Ag-Gag laws.

 

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