States of Disgrace

The recent surge of ag-gag bills is in response to a series of highly publicized undercover investigations by animal activists and journalists. These investigations have led to criminal convictions, lawsuits, and major recalls and have allowed consumers to see the hidden practices of agribusiness. Because of the economic damages, these investigations have caused, the agriculture lobby has relentlessly been pushing ag-gag bills through state legislatures. See where your state stands below and then go to What You Can Do to see how you can stop these bills from passing.

States with Ag-Gag Laws:

ALABAMA

• Statute: Farm Animal, Crop, and Research Facilities Protection Act
  
• Status: 2002 - Passed
• Summary: Prohibits anyone from possessing records that were obtained by way of deception and accessing property under "false pretenses".

ARKANSAS

• Statute: HB 1665, "An Act to Create a Cause of Action for Unauthorized Access to Another Person's Property; and for Other Purposes"
• Status: March 6, 2017 - Signed into law
• Summary: Prohibits anyone from gaining access to a non-public area of their employer’s property for the purpose of making recordings (including images or sounds) or capturing data or other material without employer's consent. The bill allows business owners to sue for any damages, including damage to a business' public reputation. Would make it illegal for whistleblowers to expose wrongdoing at a business in Arkansas if wrongdoing occurs in a non-public area of the business property.

IOWA

• Statute: SF 519 ("Ag -Gag 2.0")
• Status: March 14, 2019 - Signed into law by Gov. Kim Reynolds
• Summary: Prohibits "agricultural production facility trespass" and allows for the prosecution of people that use deception to gain access to agricultural facilities.

MISSOURI

• Statute: R.S.Mo. § 578.013 "Duty to submit videotape evidence of animal abuse or neglect" (SB 631)
• Status: July 9, 2012 - Signed into law by Gov. Jay Nixon
• Summary: Mandates that recordings depicting farm animal abuse or neglect must be submitted to law enforcement within twenty-four hours of the recording. 

MONTANA

• Statute: Farm Animal and Research Facility Protection Act 
• Status: 1991- Signed into law
• Summary: Prohibits the unauthorized entering into an animal facility to take pictures by photograph, video camera, or other means with intent to commit criminal defamation.

NORTH CAROLINA

• Statute: HB 405 and Companion Bill SB 433
• Status: June 3, 2015 - Passed - LITIGATION PENDING
• Summary: Prohibits anyone from gaining access to a non-public area of their employer's property for the purpose of making unauthorized recordings (including images or sounds) or capturing data or other material.  The bill creates a civil cause of action, allowing an employer to sue for any damages.

NORTH DAKOTA

• Statute: Animal Research Facility Damage Act 
• Status: 1991- Signed into law
• Summary: Class B misdemeanor to enter an animal facility and use or attempt to use a camera, video recorder, or any other video or audio recording device. Violators face a jail term of up to 30 days.

KANSAS

• Statute: Farm Animal and Field Crop Research Facilities Act 
• Status: 1990 - Signed into law by Gov. Mike Hayden - LITIGATION PENDING
• Summary: Prohibits unauthorized entry into an animal facility with the intent to “damage the enterprise”; prohibits taking photos or videos inside the facility, or damage any field crop at the facility. Failure to comply results in a fine of $1,000-$25,000 and is a class A nonperson misdemeanor, class B nonperson misdemeanor or a nonperson felony.

Read more about: What You Can Do