As others see it: Video recording bill misguided

Talk about it

Animal-rights activists tend to play by their own set of rules and often are willing to put themselves in harm’s way to support their cause. After all, it takes a certain amount of intestinal fortitude to get hired by a hog operation or turkey farm, then bring a hidden camera with you.

So we doubt that the threat of arrest on a gross misdemeanor charge would be much of a de-terrent for a motivated member of PETA or the Humane Society.

But Sen. Doug Magnus, a Republican from Slayton, has introduced legislation that would criminalize the act of using video cameras to document cases of animal cruelty on any agricultural operation in the state.

“These people who go undercover aren’t being truthful about what they’re doing,” Magnus said.

An astonishing claim. Undercover agents from PETA aren’t being forthright?

Granted, we’re not talking about police officers. They aren’t employed by the taxpayers, and they aren’t sniffing out drug deals or trying to infiltrate organized crime. And animal-rights groups have been known to go far too far, cutting fences and releasing animals that then pose a threat to wildlife and public safety.

But there’s no denying that undercover videos have occasionally put a much-needed spotlight on bad employees and bad livestock operations. This is a valuable service, because most consumers would prefer to believe that the meat we buy at the grocery store doesn’t come from animals that have been raised in horrible conditions, and perhaps tortured by a worker who hates his job and the animals that surround him. ...

Passage of this bill might not deter PETA, but it would strongly discourage farm employees from taking action when they see abuse. ...

Tags: opinion, editorials, minnesota, legislature, politics, magnus