Bills to Ban Documentation of Abuse on Factory Farms Die

June 2011

Bills that would have criminalized the filming of cruelty to animals on factory farms died in Iowa, New York, Florida, and Minnesota despite aggressive attempts by the meat industry to push them through. The news came after PETA spent months campaigning against the bills across the country. On PETA’s behalf, Republican strategist Mary Matalin personally appealed to every Republican representative in Iowa, where the GOP-backed bill was closest to passing. Iowa native Cloris Leachman called on legislators in her home state to reject the bill, which made Iowa look like it had something to hide. PETA visited each state’s capital and met with legislators, and thousands of PETA members and supporters expressed their outrage over the bills. The defeat of these bills was a huge victory for animals and will protect undercover investigative work that is crucial to exposing cruelty to animals in these states.