This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Well, whad'ya know? Some Utah public officials took our editorial advice. Sort of.
Wednesday:
— California activists charged under Utah's 'ag-gag' law for photographing pig farm — Salt Lake Tribune
"Four California activists who photographed a Circle Four pig farm in Iron County in September may be the first defendants prosecuted under Utah's 'ag-gag' law. ...
" ... the group, who are with the Farm Animals Rights Movements, were aware that Utah had an 'ag-gag' law — which makes undercover investigations and surreptitious recording of animal agricultural operations a crime — and were planning to take photos of the farm from public areas. ..."
Thursday:
— Justice for the Circle Four Four — Salt Lake Tribune Editorial
"If the four people seeking to document what they see as a disgraceful means of turning pigs into pork were, as they insist, only standing on public property when they took pictures of the Circle Four protein factory in Iron County, then their pending prosecution under Utah's equally disgraceful "ag-gag" law will be the best thing that could have happened to them.
"Certainly it must have been uncomfortable, if not frightening, for the four Californians to be held for some five hours by sheriff's deputies from Iron and Beaver counties.
"But if the four members of the Farm Animals Rights Movement are telling the truth about what they were doing — and, so far, there is no evidence to the contrary — then the misdemeanor charges against them must be dropped and they should be rewarded with more publicity for their venture and a significant settlement for unlawful detention. ...
— Ag gag — St. George Spectrum Editorial
" ... The ag gag law was clearly designed to protect factory farms from unwanted publicity and prevent unsafe practices from being brought to light.
"We have a right to know what we're putting into our bodies when we consume pork, beef and poultry. No one should be able to hide how food gets from the farm to the table behind a veil of secrecy.
"How our food is grown, how our food is prepared, what we eat and how it's made are basic facts to which the public should be privy. And if a debate is to be had over the what constitutes the ethical treatment of the animals we consume, it should be done in the full light of day."
Monday:
— Utah prosecutors dropping controversial 'ag-gag' charges — The Associated Press | Salt Lake Tribune
"Utah prosecutors say they are dropping charges against four animal activists filed under a controversial law known as 'ag-gag'.
"Iron County Attorney Scott Garrett said Monday the activists from California and Maryland will each face one misdemeanor charge of criminal trespass.
"He says his office is dropping a charge of agricultural operation interference, which criminalizes undercover farm investigations. The law is being challenged in court.
"Garrett says his office received the case after the four pleaded not guilty to the citations last week and prosecutors decided only the criminal trespass charge was appropriate.
"Police say the activists drove onto private farm property to take pictures in September, though defense lawyer T. Matthew Phillips has said they were on a public road. ..."