SB 373 IS BAD FOR INDIANA---THE STATE, GOOD FARMERS, & CONSUMERS (BOTH IN AND OUT OF STATE)
SB 373 is specifically designed to protect the profits of certain unlawful and unethical farms by ensuring their abuses never see the light of day.
It is important that SB 373 dies before the Agriculture and Rural Development Committee this Thursday (3/27/2013) so that it does not pass beyond the committee to the House for a vote.
~SB 373 is unnecessary as laws prohibiting trespassing, theft of intellectual property, fraud and slander already exist to protect honest businesses
~SB 373 threatens the civil liberties of citizens/consumers (both in and out of state) by constraining their rights to 1) know if the food has been produced in a lawful, ethical and safe manner and 2) Freedom of Speech
~SB 373 crafts a negative reputation farming in Indiana by associating it with having something evil to hide. SB 373 creates a negative mark on Indiana farming/farm produced products in the minds of consumers & would thereby decrease purchases made by consumers
~SB 373 would impose such severe limits on the recording of unlawful and unethical activities that it would discourage whistleblowers (who should receive our gratitude for their brave work in exposing the abuse of animals, un-healthy/unsanitary conditions, and environment risks) while also making the prosecution of abusers extraordinarily difficult
