Victory! Ag-Gag ruled unconstitutional in Idaho and what it means for Iowa
On Monday, a federal judge struck down Idaho's anti-whistleblower law, finding that it violates the First and 14th Amendments. This is the first time such an "ag-gag" statute has been successfully challenged in court, and is a well earned victory. The good news is spreading far and wide, and is firing folks in the trenches up to take the fight back up in their states.
As you likely know – “Ag-Gag” laws are attempts backed by corporate ag, the livestock industry, and their front groups like Farm Bureau and ALEC to silence whistleblowers and activists by making it a felony to take pictures or video at any agricultural operation without consent.
Seven other states still have similar laws: Kansas, Missouri, Utah, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota and North Carolina, whose measure is the most recent and some say the most dangerously expansive.
But what about Iowa – didn’t we pass an Ag-Gag law in 2012? It is true – Iowa has a version of Ag-Gag on the books. Legislation was introduced by Republicans during the 2011 legislative session, and then picked up and championed by Senate Democrats in 2012.But you won’t see Iowa mentioned in these stories as a state with a similar ag-gag law.
That’s because thousands of everyday Iowans – CCI members, CCI Action Fund members, and our allies – ran an all out offensive against the legislation. We worked with allied legislators like Senator Matt McCoy to effectively gut the bill. The resulting legislation simply stated that it is a crime to knowingly lie on a job application – something that was already a misdemeanor.
So what does this mean for Iowa’s Ag-Gag law?
Simply put, it’s up to you. Thanks to our efforts to gut ag-gag, this ruling doesn’t affect our state’s version of Ag-Gag because there are no references to photo, video, etc. in the law. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t work to be done!
That said – we want to seize the momentum of this big win in Idaho. This victory can be a catalyst to fight back against the constant power-grabs by corporate ag and the factory farm industry here in Iowa. It starts by reaching out to allied legislators to repeal Ag-Gag in 2016, and requesting an opinion on Iowa’s ag-gag from the Iowa Attorney General.
Even more importantly, this win can help inspire others in our Clean Water Fight to crack down on factory farms and win Clean Water Act permits.
They DUMP it, you DRINK it, we won’t stop ’til they clean it up!
Learn more
Why do we want Clean Water Act permits issued to factory farms?
Timeline of how CCI members pushed DNR to come into compliance with the Clean Water Act