The opinion piece “Ag-Gag animosity” that was printed in the March 11, 2014 edition originally contained information incorrectly linking Subway to a recent meat recall. The Argonaut regrets the error.
When Jim Gaffigan does his hot pocket bit during a show, he never really joked about the inconsistently heated snack’s dubious origins.
Justin Ackerman | Argonaut
Recently, this company struggled with the backlash of selling contaminated meat, which made it to market as a result of botched regulation. According to the FDA, this lack of regulation allowed contaminated beef to reach 35 states.
It may have failed in these particular instances, but the FDA was formed in part by reform minded citizens such as Upton Sinclair. During the early 1900s, many people went out of their way to report the true nature of the American food industry — a practice which continues today.
The Idaho Legislature recently passed S.B. 1337, which Idaho Gov. C. L. “Butch” Otter promptly signed into law. This bill does a few things, but most importantly, prohibits citizens from recording both audio and video of agricultural operations in the state.
It was passed in response to a Los Angeles based animal rights group video that detailed abuse in Idaho dairy farms. The law hopes to curb further bad press, but in doing so, Idaho’s legislators have pushed yet another problem under the rug.
Undercover workers and hidden cameras have become the last line of defense against wrong doing in the food industry. Preventing this practice doesn’t benefit anyone, it just brings Idaho’s largest industry further away from the trust and transparency needed for it to flourish.
One less source of uncensored information on the inner workings of Idaho’s farms should not make anyone feel better about the quality of their food. Combine that with the potential First Amendment violation and it seems like a loss for the citizens of Idaho, so it must be another check on Otter’s “pro-business” rap sheet.
This business minded approach would make sense, nobody wants bad press. However it’s not quite that simple, many businesses in Idaho have spoken against the newly passed law. Including Chobani, the popular yogurt company that recently opened the self-proclaimed world’s largest yogurt processing facility in Twin Falls.
This isn’t a case of Idaho protecting it’s businesses, at least it’s not that cut and dry. This doesn’t increase the safety of Idaho citizens, in fact it does the opposite.
Idaho is worse off with this bill, because it removes the public’s right to know.
The state lost an important protection against unethical practices with S.B. 1337, which once again leaves citizens questioning Otter’s motivations and judgment.
Justin Ackerman can be reached at [email protected]