Ignorance is bliss: self-regulation and Ag-Gag laws in the American meat industry

Abstract

In America, we like to say that we live in a democracy. Yet, it is difficult to believe that the majority would allow current practices to continue if citizens knew how the food animals they eat are treated – both during their short lives and during slaughter. The problem is that the citizens don’t know, and it is not a case of willful blindness. Take a moment to recall what you know about our meat industry. Can’t think of much? That is the goal of the meat industry: out of sight, out of mind. In several states, so called ‘Ag-Gag’ laws are designed to keep the truth from the public. In those states, it is a felony to obtain a job with the intent of being a whistle blower. The meat industry knows that if it were to be exposed, the public would demand better treatment of animals, a demand that would decrease profits for the meat industry. This paper will explain these ‘Ag-Gag’ laws in detail, explore their effect on our society, shed light on the practices that the meat industry tries – very successfully – to hide from voters and consumers, and examine the scary results that can occur when an industry is allowed to regulate itself.

Keywords:

• Ag-Gag
• meat
• animal
• regulation
• farm
• factory

Acknowledgments

My gratitude goes to my husband, James Wrock, and Professor Noah Hall for their assistance in editing and providing feedback on this article, to my undergraduate professors – Dr Barbara Smuts, Dr Camille Ward and Professor Luis Sfeir-Younis for encouraging compassion for animals and for their endless wisdom and insight into the animal world and human/animal relationships, to my law professors – Jerry Simonelli, Noah Hall, and Nick Schroeck for supporting and developing my interest in animal law, to my family for supporting me throughout my education, and to my husband and Bandit, Shadow, and Shelby for making law school a little less stressful.

Notes

1. Also, commonly referred to as a ‘CAFO’ for ‘Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation.’

2. Corn, common in animal feed, is the number one food product subsidized by the government, for a total of $77 billion between 1995 and 2010 (Mercola, 2011).

3. This investigation also resulted in criminal convictions (HSUS, 2014).

4. The 11 states include: Arkansas, California, Indiana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Vermont, and Wyoming (HSUS, 2014).

5. Utah dismissed Amy Meyer’s case (without prejudice) when it became clear that she was on public land, ‘and when the public became outraged over her unjust charges’ (Wells, 2013).

6. These concerns are not elaborated on in this paper, as the environmental and health concerns arising from lax standards and under-enforcement of laws are complex concerns justifying their own lengthy writings and explanations.

7. It is illegal to use a ‘downer cow’ (a non-ambulatory cow) for meat since it is three times as likely that the cow will carry a disease such as Escherichia coli. This investigation discovered the plant ‘dumping 37 million pounds of downed-cow beef into the national “low cost or free” school-lunch program’ (emphasis added). The meat was sold to the Department of Agriculture, which approved the meat for the school meals (Solotaroff, 2013).