by Mary LaHay

Because photographic and video evidence was critical to documenting abuse of dogs in these high-volume breeding facilities and to subsequent passage of the puppy mill bill, we are understandably very concerned about the impact SF431, the animal-facility recording bill, might have on future companion-animal protection efforts and ultimately on any whistleblowers who witness and report crimes.

For the record, we recognize that most livestock producers do not abuse or mistreat the animals in their care. We also recognize that this proposed legislation offers these responsible producers “protection” they don’t need while it enables violators to abuse animals and not be held accountable.

On Thursday, March 24, we scheduled a press conference at the state capitol to voice our concerns, and I brought two large photographs of puppy mills as examples of the legitimate and necessary role such evidence plays in reducing animal abuse. This material was displayed on a table behind me, and while I was being interviewed, SF431 author Rep. Annette Sweeney approached the table and removed the photo. Unbeknownst to her, her actions were captured by WHO-TV news cameras. [LINK ]

When immediately challenged, Rep. Sweeney told us and the WHO-TV reporter that she removed the photo because it was “inaccurate.” After the video footage aired on that evening’s news broadcast, she  changed her story and claimed that the photo violated a “no posters” policy within the capitol.

If any incident proves the value of video or photographic evidence, it is this.  Rep. Sweeney acted recklessly because she thought no one was watching, which is exactly what those who would abuse animals hope for. With her actions recorded, she now has to backpedal out of her real intent, which was to censor information she didn’t want others to see.  This would be inappropriate behavior from any thinking adult; from an elected public official, it is inexcusable.

Press Conference: March 24, 2011, 1PM – State Capitol Rotunda, 2nd Floor

As a companion-animal welfare organization we are greatly concerned about the impact the passage of  HF589/SF431 may have on the conditions more than 23,000 dogs in Iowa’s 500+ commercial kennels are forced to endure. This bill seeks to criminalize the production, possession and distribution of records obtained in animal facilities without the owner’s consent.

Hundreds of our organization’s grassroots members lobbied hard for two years to gain passage of the 2009 “Puppy Mill Bill”. This new law has helped improve conditions for thousands of dogs. USDA inspection report data provided support for the bill in the form of disturbing details about the cruel and inhumane conditions in Iowa kennels; details such as dogs forced to live in slurries of their own waste,  dogs living in cages too small to allow them to sit or lie normally, dogs living in darkness, dogs denied shelter from the elements, denied water, denied veterinary care. The list goes on and on (see www.iowavca.org for examples of inspection reports). But photographic evidence, much of it obtained by undercover operatives, breathed life into the abstract reports, giving these defenseless victims a face. If a law such as this had already been enacted, we (and the dogs!) would have been denied this important evidence.

Proponents of this radical and punitive legislation have argued that some of the abuse is actually perpetrated by animal rights activists in order to create “evidence” to capture on video. The author of HF589, Rep. Annette Sweeney, and other legislators have made this absurd and unsupported claim. We’ve requested, but have yet to receive, evidence to support it. Neither has anyone cited a single example where such “staged” abuse occurred.

The plain truth is that every industry contains the potential for illegal, abusive, or unsafe practices, and conscientious reporting of violations, confirmed by recorded evidence, is often a critical supplement to the oversight provided by regulatory agencies or law enforcement personnel. Should we also turn a blind eye to other crimes — exploitation of the elderly, financial fraud, building code violations? This bill isn’t just bad public policy; it’s corporate extremism by Iowa agribusiness, an attempt to silence its critics and avoid public accountability, and the dogs caught in the commercial breeding industry will likely be swept up in it all.

Our own US Senator Chuck Grassley has officially praised the “good works of whistle-blowers ” and called them modern day patriots.   He has supported “Sunshine laws” and greater disclosure in many industries because “we need all the eyes and ears we can get to ensure accountability and transparency.”  This bill aims instead to shut the doors and turn out the lights. Iowa’s animals and citizens deserve better.

TAKE ACTION:

We strongly oppose this bill and encourage Iowans to contact their state senator and request that they vote NO on SF 431.