Monthly Archives: April 2012

Missouri’s House has recently passed a bill criminalizing the act of “agricultural production facility fraud,” whereby individuals will be prosecuted who enter agricultural production facilites “by false pretenses…with the intent to commit an act not authorized by the owner.”  Animal welfare advocates who seek to expose the reality of food production and animal cruelty on factory farms could face serious jail time if they do not disclose their original intent on their job applications. The bill also specifies that individuals who “willfully produce a record of an image or sound occurring at the operation… without the consent of the facility owner” will be punished. So not only undercover animal welfare advocates will be at risk of prosecution,  but concerned employees that seek to distribute unauthorized photos or recordings are also at risk of retaliation.