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Farmarazzi/Ag-gag Update
Posted on Wed, July 20, 2011 by Slow Food USA
21 Comments | Categories: Farms and Farming, News, Current Events, Policy, Take Action,
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Great news: the “ag-gag” bills that cropped up in Iowa, Florida, Minnesota and New York are dead. After months of efforts from Big Ag to pass bills behind our backs making it illegal to take photos or video of farms in these states, we’ve stopped them in their tracks.
Nearly 45,000 of you signed our petition to stand up for transparency on farms. We shared those signatures—as well as the slideshow below of the beautiful farm photos you uploaded to our Facebook page—with influential senators in each state.
While there was not enough momentum to pass them this year—technically these bills could be revived in future sessions. We promise to continue to track this and let you know when your voice might be needed again.
Thank you!
This campaign work is made possible by Slow Food USA members. Not a member? Join today!
Member Comments
From Jeff Crumley on Wed, July 20, 2011
Cool….This does more for ocean protection than some of the other farces going on around here.
From Anon on Wed, July 20, 2011
Great win for the people once again. Big ag and their ridiculous legislation will continue to get trampled on because the people are awake now and from here it can only grow. Thank you internet and thank you Slow Food USA.
From Susan Phillips on Wed, July 20, 2011
Good that you all are progressing, I LOVED the farm photos but now that I see how REALLY PRECIOUS these little animals are, I don’t feel like EATING them ! I like the cheese and mushrooms and kale though ! Really, how can we eat them ?
From Debra Reynolds on Wed, July 20, 2011
I love the slide show. I have wanted to live on a farm all my life. I do live out in country But i rent. So i can not plant long term. I would love to have apple trees and a big garden to give away as much food as i could. And chickens,eggs lots of ways i could live and help others to eat and heal with herbs. I am always getting from nature all that i need.Someday i want my dream of feeding others to come true. It is hope that makes one want to live and hope to serve others that gives my life meaning.
From Linda Hoke on Wed, July 20, 2011
To Susan P, I had the privilege of living on rural land for several years, and each year my neighbor and I would share the cost of raising a pig, and a lamb, and we would share the meat at the end of the year. While pigs are cute when little, they can eat like pigs when they get bigger and it costs significantly to feed them so unless you have a lot of food resources to offer them, the economical thing to do, if you want to feed your family, is to send them to the butcher. Lambs will eat mostly grass, but the same economics apply. There’s no financial benefit to keeping them over the winter. Home-grown pork and lamb are far superior to anything you buy from large-scale farm operations.
From Diana Dyer on Wed, July 20, 2011
Susan P., I had just the opposite reaction. It was only when I finally found some local farms that gave their animals a humane life and death that I began to eat animal meats again. I take a moment to honor the life of these animals plus give thanks for all the hands that brought us our food before each meal.
From Rachel Greenberger on Wed, July 20, 2011
So proud to be a newly-registered member of Slow Food USA and to read this tremendous news via Twitter. I tweet @businessforfood and @Food_Sol, a new start-up committed to a brighter food future. Let’s all keep up the good fight for the universal right to eat healthily and humanely!
From stephen on Wed, July 20, 2011
I’m sorry, but in a world of exploding populations and climate upheaval, I’m not very concerned with HOW we are going to be able to feed the billions and billions of open mouths…only that it gets done. And, since there is no slowing of the population growth on the horizon, we are going to need more and more industrial farms to meet the need of the “starving masses”. So let’s not get all over-emotional on an issue that involves “human” life & death.
From Jack on Wed, July 20, 2011
Stephen I agree but transparency is important. Otherwise you have more and more chicken farms producing chicken **** that runs down into our waterways killing all the fish (the swimming food). Industrial farms, ok. Zero-responsibility Industrial Farms, not ok.
From Liz on Wed, July 20, 2011
To Stephen: You are ill-informed to think industrial farms will meet the needs of a starving world. Industrial farms do not care about hungry people or about caring for their land or even about the quality of the food they produce. They care only about profit. There are plenty of instances where they made a profit by producing hazardous food full of chemicals and by depleting their soil for future generations of agricultural use. Family farms are productive, often more so and family farmers care about their land, their livestock and feeding a hungry world.
I was born on a farm in Iowa and personally know Nebraska farmers who gave train car loads of high protein beans to third world peoples at their own expense. To believe industrial farming is the answer to solve world hunger is naive at best.
From Kathryn Grace on Wed, July 20, 2011
This is some of the best news I’ve had in a long time. Thank you so much for being there for us and for helping us all find ways to support your efforts to keep our food slow and local.
From Linda Benton on Thu, July 21, 2011
Stephen - RE: feeding the world’s starving masses - Industrial farms are the answer? REALLY? I, for one, believe that birth control might be the best “gift” we can give poverty stricken countries that do not have the resources to feed themselves. Quality of LIFE not quantity of LIVES. Back on topic- thanks to the many wonderful farmers who put in so much time and sweat equity into bringing us wonderful local food. Tonight, we feasted on locally grown tomatoes, okra, and berries! YUM.
From Jeff Crumley on Thu, July 21, 2011
Here is a good argument against industrial farming….
http://www.news.cornell.edu/chronicle/99/5.20.99/toxic_pollen.html
Sposin’ this has anything to do with BEES ????
Messed that up a bit, yeah? GM salmon too right??
From Betty Todd on Thu, July 21, 2011
Great effort to showcase Happy Animals. I now eat the best locally-grown fresh chicken from a small family farm, and the best eggs and produce.
From Nailgun on Fri, July 22, 2011
stephen -
Since the “Green” Revolution, the leading cause of death in impoverished areas has been from /malnutrition/ rather than starvation. Industrial food has so far failed to provide us with anything but more calories, depleted or tainted water-supplies, and salinized land. Ignoring even this, arguably prolonged beriberi, scurvy, or anemia(s) are even worse than death by hunger. No matter how good fertilizers, GMOs, and pesticides become, getting 200 bushels of corn from 1 acre of land means there are less essential vitamins and minerals in the plants. No foreseeable scientific leap can solve this issue before the ever-increasing petroleum-based inputs for this kind of agriculture are no longer sustainable or even economical.
Since human micronutrition is not yet (and may never be) fully understood by modern science, there is a distinct limit to the amount of “bang per buck” that can be gotten per a given acreage. Highly centralized food-distribution can become overstretched and is simply an inflated example of “giving a man a fish” rather than “teaching him how to catch one” for himself.
The answer is distributed production.
From Peter Bacchus on Wed, August 03, 2011
There is enough food in the World if it were distributed equiably. Yes it is a good point about teaching a man to fish so long as you don’t make him dependent on purchasing hook line and sinker from you so he can’t afford to fish. The biggest need in the hungry and diseased world is clean fresh water. Industrial methods of agriculture makes the land more drought and flood prone. The family farm is king as far as sustainability goes.
From computers on Fri, August 05, 2011
The “ag-gag” bills that docked up in Sioux, Florida, Minnesota and New York are cold.The “ag-gag” bills that docked up in Sioux, Florida, Minnesota and New Royalty are absolute. After months of efforts from Big Ag to passport bills down our backs making it illegitimate to bed photos or recording of farms in [...]
From computers on Fri, August 05, 2011
The “ag-gag” bills that docked up in Sioux, Florida, Minnesota and New York are cold.The “ag-gag” bills that docked up in Sioux, Florida, Minnesota and New Royalty are absolute. After months of efforts from Big Ag to passport bills down our backs making it illegitimate to bed photos or recording of farms in [...]
From best forex broker on Fri, August 12, 2011
Although their work may be hard to look at, videographers and other documentarians – and those who would distribute their work – perform an important service to society, one that helps keep us safe, and legislation aimed toward vilifying their efforts can only be perceived as thinly veiled attempts to hide the truth by misdirecting public scrutiny. The blame for inhumane and dirty practices lie with the producers who allow them to occur and the lawmakers and government agencies who give them pass after pass for behavior that sickens consumers, both literally and figuratively. The old adage that legislation and sausage-making are two processes most people would rather not observe close-up may sometimes hold true, but sometimes, we have to hold our noses and take a good hard look at what’s going on.
From best forex broker on Fri, August 12, 2011
Tho’ their business may be hardened to wait at, videographers and remaining documentary - and those who would displace their utilize - fulfill an primal force to lodge, one that helps stronghold us secure, and governing aimed toward vilifying their efforts can exclusive be detected as thinly disguised attempts to conceal the abolitionist by misdirecting esoteric investigating. The educed for inhumane and unwashed practices lie with the producers who grant them to become and the lawmakers and juncture after overhaul for activeness that sickens consumers, both literally and figuratively. The old byword that governance and sausage-making are two processes most people would rather not find close-up may sometimes pause admittedly, but sometimes, we bang to relate our noses and submit a neat ossified looking.
