Ag- Gag Laws: A Threat Not Limited to Animals
Ag- Gag laws criminalize the publication of the internal conditions within agricultural industries (Animal Legal Defense Fund. “Ag-Gag Laws”). This works to criminalize whistleblowers that expose the gruesome and inhumane details (namely of animal abuse) that make up the inner workings of agricultural facilities. Currently, six states (IA, MO, KS, AR, MT, ND, and NC) have maintained their use of Ag- Gag laws while various states are fighting for their right to institute them (Mercy For Animals. “The Oldest Ag-Gag Law in the United States Was Just Struck Down”). These laws allow institutions to continue to hide the truth behind their facilities from the public. This ensures that these agricultural facilities avoid receiving backlash from their customers whose moral compass sways their choice in purchases as a consumer. If a moral compass is not enough, there is still the threat of the unsanitary conditions provided for the animals being exposed to the public (which would possibly lead to backlash from consumers).
Additionally, Ag- Gag laws not only are effective in legalizing the concealment of animal abuse within their facilities but of poor work conditions towards their workforce as well. Industrial slaughterhouses are notorious for providing inadequate work conditions to their workers whilst hiding that reality from consumers. Slaughterhouses often utilize a company doctor whose job involves the downplaying of worker injuries. A prime example of this is the GAO specifying a case in which a single worker had made a total of 90 visits to a nursing station before finally getting referred to a physician for sufficient medical care (NPR. “We Don’t Know How Many Workers Are Injured At Slaughterhouses. Here’s Why”). Industries continue to avoid adequately compensating workers for their injuries while simultaneously avoiding citing said injuries officially.
Furthermore, the GAO conducted a study monitoring the citations of worker injuries from 2004-2013 in which the reported injuries steadily declined (GAO. “Workplace Safety and Health”). The GAO noted several barriers that lead to the underreporting of injuries and illnesses, most notably, workers’ fear of losing their job. This fear that workers face prevents them from reporting their injuries as they worry they will be easily replaced, left crippled and without any means to provide for themselves. Ag- Gag laws allow for the reality of these poor work provisions to be concealed from the scrutiny of the public eye whilst lack of job security for industrial slaughterhouses workers maintains the control employers have over their workers despite the provision of an unsafe work environment. In short, it is a combination that is detrimental to the health and safety of both the animals and the workers within agricultural industries.
Citations:
“Ag-Gag Laws - Why Are Ag-Gag Laws Harmful?” Animal Legal Defense Fund, 13 Sept. 2021, aldf.org/issue/ag-gag/.
Bugga, Hannah. “The Oldest Ag-Gag Law in the United States Was Just Struck Down.” Mercy For Animals, 9 May 2020, mercyforanimals.org/blog/the-oldest-ag-gag-law-in-the-united-states/.
Gerlock, Grant. “We Don't Know How Many Workers Are Injured at Slaughterhouses. Here's Why.” NPR, NPR, 25 May 2016, www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/05/25/479509221/we-dont-know-how-many-workers-are-injured-at-slaughterhouses-heres-why.
Office, U.S. Government Accountability. “Workplace Safety and Health: Additional Data Needed to Address Continued Hazards in the Meat and Poultry Industry.” Workplace Safety and Health: Additional Data Needed to Address Continued Hazards in the Meat and Poultry Industry | U.S. GAO, 25 May 2016, www.gao.gov/products/gao-16-337.
Images:
https://www.radicalcompliance.com/2019/02/27/podcast-ccos-facing-retaliation/