Imagine not being able to pull out a camera and take a snapshot of Nelly the cow in a country field or a flock of chickens waddling by.<\/p>\n
No, it’s not your kid’s worst nightmare at the petting zoo this March Break. It’s a series<\/a> of proposed laws<\/a> in the United States that would make it illegal \u2013 and punishable by prison time \u2013 to take a photo or video of farm animals. Even from the road.<\/p>\n The bills are designed to protect farms and agribusinesses from undercover videos and other images used to slam the industry. Like, say, the film Food Inc. <\/a><\/p>\n A group called the Animal Agricultural Alliance (AAA) applauded the idea<\/a>:<\/p>\n \u201cIt is imperative that activists be held accountable for their actions to undermine farmers, ranchers and meat processors through use of videos depicting alleged mistreatment of animals for the purposes of gaining media attention and fundraising \u2013 all in an effort to drive their vegan agenda,\u201d the AAA said in a press release quoted on an agriculture news site.<\/p>\n A number of activists and observers are alarmed, of course. Foodie New York Times writer Mark Bittman<\/a> posted this site<\/a> to Twitter<\/a>, which pokes some fun at the issue.<\/p>\n But, it’s also a glimpse of a future where gory images of cow slaughters and crammed poultry barns dry up \u2013 whether the laws pass or not. According to writer Mike Licht, the AAA is hoping to train farmers to spot a pesky investigate reporter or PETA member:<\/p>\n \u201cThe outfit is holding a security workshop with topics like \u2018Blueprint for identifying potential employee imposters\/activists,\u2019 \u2018Working with law enforcement and prosecutors to keep imposters out\u2019 and \u2018OK \u2013 so you hired an imposter\/activist \u2013 video at 10!\u2019 Unsurprisingly, the media are not invited.\u201d<\/p>\n What happens if these ideas catch on? Is it proof that agribusiness has everything to hide? Or are farmers within their rights to seek more privacy?<\/p>\n