A coalition of consumer, free speech and animal rights groups filed suit in federal court in Des Moines to challenge the constitutionality of Iowa’s “ag gag” law, enacted in 2012. Iowa is the No. 1 state for hog and egg production and the largest target yet by campaigners against state laws that criminalize undercover employment on farms and at packing plants.
The lawsuit says the state law violated the Constitution’s guarantees of free speech and equal protection under the law. The Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) says eight states have enacted the so-called ag gag laws since the 1990s. Federal judges have overturned the laws in Idaho and Utah. Farm groups say the laws protect privacy and private property against trespass and unscrupulous behavior by activists who sensationalize farm practices.
“Unlike the challenges in other states, the groups suing Iowa contend that the state’s law protects not only inhumane animal agriculture operations but also hundreds of puppy mills,” said Food Safety News. Filing the suit were ALDF, the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa, People for Ethical Treatment of Animals, Center for Food Safety, and Public Justice.