Archive

Moving Beyond The "Ag" In "Ag-Gag" -- The Next Wave Of Anti-Whistleblower Legislation?

By Molly Knobler and Gordon Schnell (published in Huffington Post) Under the mighty Ag-Gag umbrella, what goes on inside the factory farm stays in the factory farm.  No matter the abuse or misconduct.  There has been success in some states in shutting down this anti-whistleblower charge.  In fact, just this week a federal judge struck down Idaho's Ag-Gag law as unconstitutional under the free speech and equal...

Will Idaho Be the End of Ag-Gag?

By Molly Knobler and Gordon Schnell Animal rights activists don’t get many legal wins, but this is a big one.  On Tuesday in a 28-page, carefully reasoned opinion that pulled no punches, Chief Judge for the District of Idaho Lynn Winmill found Idaho’s “Ag-Gag” law unconstitutional under both the Free Speech and Equal Protection clauses.  This was the law specifically aimed at criminalizing whistleblowers...

In Their Own Words - McCrory

-- “WHILE I SUPPORT THE PURPOSE OF THIS [AG-GAG] BILL, I BELIEVE IT DOES NOT ADEQUATELY PROTECT OR GIVE CLEAR GUIDANCE TO HONEST EMPLOYEES WHO UNCOVER CRIMINAL ACTIVITY. I AM CONCERNED THAT SUBJECTING THESE EMPLOYEES TO POTENTIAL CIVIL PENALTIES WILL CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT THAT DISCOURAGES THEM FROM REPORTING ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES.” 

North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory on proposed Ag-Gag bill.  Click here for more.

Food Integrity Campaign's Petition Against High-Speed Hog Processing

By Marlene Koury The Food Integrity Campaign ("FIC") is pushing to stop Hormel from its practice of high-speed hog processing without a proper safety inspection process in place.  Hormel owns three out of five hog plants currently participating in a controversial pilot program that increases line speeds and deregulates meat inspection by shifting authority from government inspectors to industry to monitor food...

Humane Society Launches Whistleblower Hotline

By Marlene Koury Whistleblowers now have a dedicated hotline to anonymously report animal abuse without running afoul of “ag-gag” laws aimed at criminalizing the documentation of cruelty on factory farms.  The Humane Society launched the hotline (1-888-209-7177) for whistleblowers to report cruelty and neglect on factory farms, at livestock auctions and in slaughter houses, offering a reward of up to $5,000...

The Beginning of the End for Ag-Gag Laws?

By Gordon Schnell In an eagerly awaited decision out of federal court in Idaho last week, Chief Judge B. Lynn Winmill has dealt a mighty blow to proponents of the so-called "Ag-Gag" laws several states have passed in recent years to ensure what goes on in factory farms, stays in factory farms.  At issue in this case is the constitutionality of the Idaho statute and whether -- in criminalizing undercover...

When Documenting a Crime Becomes a Crime

By Marlene Koury Last month, Idaho passed the latest of the so-called “Ag-Gag” bills that have been introduced in state legislatures over the past few years.  This law, much like the Ag-Gag laws already passed in Iowa, Utah, Missouri, North Dakota, Montana and Kansas, bans anyone -- including journalists, employees, and animal rights activists – from photographing or filming anything inside factory farms and...

“David keeps beating Goliath when truth is in the slingshot.” – Part Two of Our Interview with Tom Devine, Legal Director for the Government Accountability Project

Earlier this month, we brought you the first part of a two-part interview with Tom Devine, Legal Director for the Government Accountability Project.  In that post, we discussed whistleblowers and national security.  In this second part, we explore what it means to be a whistleblower in the 2010s and some pressing issues facing whistleblowers in the years ahead. Whistleblower Insider:  We've focused so far on the...

Fighting for the Safety of our Food – Interview with Food & Water Watch’s Tony Corbo

Whistleblower Insider recently sat down with Tony Corbo, the senior lobbyist for the food campaign by DC-based public interest group Food & Water Watch, to learn more about the food industry and the issues we all face, but likely do not even know about, every time we choose an apple or a bag of cookies at the supermarket. CC Whistleblower:  What is Food & Water Watch? Tony Corbo:  Food & Water Watch is a...

Ag-Gag Laws Seek to Place Factory Farms Off-Limits to Whistleblowers

By Gordon Schnell (published in The Hill) It really has become the age of the whistleblower.  Perhaps it was the 9/11 wakeup call that we live in a more dangerous world.  Maybe we no longer trust the government to look out for us the way we think it should.  Or maybe it is simply about corporate plunder and the ever-widening gulf between the haves and have-nots.  Whatever it is, a new mindset pervades -- where...