Speak Out Against Bills That Hide Truths About Factory Farming

[Ed. Note: For more information, read States to Outlaw Factory Farm Investigations?. Wonder why it's important to have undercover investigators: Visit our Video Library and "click" on any animal topic and see why exposing the horrors/the truths about animal abuse are ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. ]

FROM  People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)

ACTION

Bills that could subject whistleblowers to criminal prosecution for their efforts to expose animal abuse on factory farms are currently making their way through the Minnesota, Florida, and Iowa legislatures. Tell the governors of Florida, Iowa, and Minnesota to veto any of these bills that reach their desks.

Even if you live outside Florida, Iowa, and Minnesota, your voice is still needed. The meat from slaughtered animals crosses state lines, and the governments in these states need to hear from consumers across the country who care about the way animals killed for food are treated.

Sign an online petition

And/Or better yet, make direct contact:

Iowa Governor Terry Branstad
1007 East Grand Ave.
Des Moines, Iowa 50319
phone (515) 281-5211
email - info@terrybranstad.com

Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton
Office of the Governor
130 State Capitol
75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
St. Paul, MN 55155
phone (651) 201-3400
fax (651) 797-1850

Florida Governor Rick Scott
The Capitol
400 S. Monroe St.
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0001
phone (850) 488-7146
fax (850) 487-0801 (fax)

INFORMATION / TALKING POINTS

Bills that could subject whistleblowers to criminal prosecution for their efforts to expose animal abuse on factory farms are currently making their way through the Minnesota, Florida, and Iowa legislatures. If passed, these bills would penalize those who report and expose cruelty to animals and would put them at risk of being charged with a misdemeanor or even a felony, sentenced to pay heavy fines, and ordered to serve jail time. These bills are a desperate attempt by agriculture industry giants to prevent consumers from learning the truth about how animals on factory farms suffer and die.

In 2008, prompted by a whistleblower's report, a PETA undercover investigation of an Iowa factory farm that supplied pigs for Hormel Foods revealed that workers were beating pigs with metal rods, sexually abusing them with canes, and more. Six workers faced a total of 22 charges of livestock neglect and abuse, and all of them admitted guilt, bringing the state's first convictions for abuse or neglect of factory-farmed pigs. Other whistleblower reports and undercover investigations of factory farms, such as those done by PETA, have resulted in criminal charges after documenting that farm workers were beating, sexually abusing, stomping, kicking, and throwing animals. Citizens' right to document cruelty to animals—wherever it occurs—is crucial in helping local, state, and federal officials enforce anti-cruelty laws.

Thank you for everything you do for animals!