A bill introduced in the Tennessee General Assembly that would regulate the use of drones in agriculture also outlaws “surreptitious commercial surveillance.” And that has animal welfare groups, such as the Humane Society of the United States, concerned that its just another attempt to pass a so-called “ag gag” bill in the state, according to an article in The Tennessean.
Last year, the state legislature passed a bill that would have made it illegal for whistleblowers (and journalists) to hold undercover footage of animal abuse for longer than 48 hours without alerting law enforcement, but it was vetoed by Governor Bill Haslam.
Such bills, known as “ag gag” bills, have been introduced in state legislatures across the country as a way to crack down on undercover animal abuse investigations on factory farming operations. Most undercover investigations take much longer than 48 hours, and without being able to secretly record for several days, animal welfare groups are less likely to successfully expose animal abuse.
