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HSUS ag-gag protest ad to air Tuesday in N.C.
Story Date: 5/28/2013
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Source: Michael Fielding, MEATINGPLACE, 5/28/13
The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is launching a new television commercial this week in North Carolinia that targets a bill that that would require that documentation of illegal activity at agricultural facilities and meat processing plants be turned over to police within 24 hours.
The ad urges state lawmakers to block a so-called "ag-gag" bill, the "Commerce Protection Act," that targets whistleblowers.
According to SB648, which was introduced in early April, “[i]t is unlawful for any person to willfully make false statements or representations or to fail to disclose requested information as part of an employment application” if the purpose is to “to create or produce a record that reproduces an image or sound occurring within the employer’s facility, including a photographic, video, or audio” or “to capture or remove data, paper, records, or any other documents."
The HSUS commercial, which can be viewed by clicking here, includes footage from numerous whistleblowing investigations that led to criminal convictions and meat recalls for food safety violations. It began airing Tuesday.
Last week, Wayne Pacelle, HSUS president and CEO, sent a letter to the North Carolina Chamber of Commerce asking it to withdraw its support for the bill, stating “[u]nder the guise of business protection, this bill would prevent the exposure of animal cruelty and food safety threats as well as make it a crime for employees to report on illegal or unethical activity, leaving consumers to wonder what a few North Carolina businesses have to hide.”
In a statement on its website, the North Carolina Chamber of Commerce praised the bill, stating: "If an applicant misrepresents his intentions in order to obtain employment for other purposes, the employer has lost that investment and the opportunity to employ another applicant who is interested in employment, and the employer is thus damaged. Employment fraud costs businesses millions of dollars every year to defend against frivolous lawsuits."
For more stories, go to http://www.meatingplace.com/.
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