North Carolina Legislature Approves Ag-Gag Law

The North Carolina legislature really doesn’t care to know about animal abuse on farms. In May, it sent an ag-gag measure (HB 405) to Governor McCrory for his signature, but at the urging of thousands of animal advocates, the governor vetoed it. This victory was short-lived, however; the agriculture industry leaned on the legislators, who promptly overrode McCrory’s veto. When the law takes effect in January 2016, undercover investigators and employees trying to expose abuses at factory farms (and even nursing homes and other businesses), will face penalties. Enactment of HB 405 is bad news for animals and people, but elsewhere this year, the tide turned against such legislation, as similar bills in Colorado, Washington, New Mexico, and Kentucky were defeated.