Animal abusers don’t need or deserve legal protection in Minnesota. And that’s why a move by Republican legislators to do just that is so misguided.

Bills (HF 1369 and SF 1118) being considered in the Legislature this session would make it a criminal act for anyone, including members of the media, to blow the whistle on farm or livestock operations that engage in animal abuse. This includes anyone, operating undercover, taking photographs or video of farms, livestock, puppy mills, or similar facilities that document animal neglect or cruelty. It would also include the actions of local whistleblower Lisa Anderson, who documented the animal neglect at a rural Tower farmstead just last month. Under the bills, the first offense would be classified as a gross misdemeanor, but a second offense would qualify as a felony.

The measure is being pushed by big corporate agricultural interests, which are concerned that practices at some factory farms, livestock breeders, and puppy mills are giving their industry a bad name. Rather than cleaning up their act, they are using their political clout in St. Paul in an effort to keep abuses hidden from the public.

These so-called “ag-gag” bills represent the worst kind of public policy, and are likely unconstitutional.

We have freedom of the press in America and a long tradition of undercover investigations into the livestock and food industries. Exposes such as Upton Sinclair’s famous book, The Jungle, which documented the horrendous conditions in the meatpacking industry in the early 20th Century, helped bring about regulatory changes that improved food safety and quality. Big Ag, and their GOP supporters, may want to take us back to the practices exposed in The Jungle, but the public shouldn’t stand for it.

These days, the public expects to know much more about the food they buy. The public broadly supports labeling laws that provide all of us with nutritional information about the food that fills the grocery store shelves. Many consumers look for organic products because they want food that’s raised without chemical pesticides. While we all understand that most livestock is raised for slaughter, most Americans firmly believe that all animals should be provided a measure of respect and not be subjected to the kind of abuses that have been recorded all too often at some livestock operations, and even at puppy mills.

The solution is better treatment for these animals, not legislation intended to cover up abuses. These bills don’t reflect well on the legislators who authored them, nor on the industry that is pushing for their passage. Most farm operators and livestock and dog breeders do a good job of caring for their animals, and they should be the last ones who want to see the handful of serious offenders in their industry protected by such ill-considered legislation.

Keep in mind, these bills don’t provide protection to humane operations. They have nothing to fear from public scrutiny. These bills are intended to help the worst offenders avoid exposure and potential prosecution for their illegal acts. Without the ability to operate in an undercover manner, obtaining documentation of the abuses that do occur is almost impossible. If this bill passes, abusive operators will have nothing to fear, no matter egregious their actions.

In most other areas, whistleblowers are afforded legal protection. In this case, however, Big Ag and their legislative lackeys want to turn whistleblowers into criminals. That’s shameful and it has no place in the law books of this state. Minnesota is better than that.