Call it farm protection, Hoosier-style. The Indiana General Assembly has sent farm protection legislation without any “gags” to Gov. Mike Pence for his signature.
The bill does not ban taking pictures or making videos, does not change existing law on reporting animal abuse, and contains no penalties for getting creative on a job application. Those are the elements contained in agricultural protection bills that animal-rights activists have come to label “ag-gag” measures.
However, Senate Bill (SB) 101 does give agricultural property the same protection against trespass that’s now afforded to schools, churches and private homes. Trespass and do damages of more than $750 to agricultural property, and the offender will be charged with a felony carrying jail time of up to three years.
Damages of $50,000 or more mean a felony conviction that could result in eight years in state prison.
SB 101, which passed the Indiana Senate 41-5 and the House 73-25, is structured like Indiana’s statute against railroad trespass. The law specifies who is authorized to be at agricultural production facilities and considers anyone not on the list to be trespassing.
With SB 186, giving Indiana farmers the right to use all generally accepted farming practices and new technologies, the Hoosier agricultural lobby seems satisfied with what it has accomplished this session.
“By supporting these bills (SB 101 and 186), our legislators have shown their support for Hoosier agriculture and the vital role it plays in our state’s economy,” Dave Lowe, president of the Indiana Soybean Alliance, told Hoosier Ag Today.
“Our state agricultural organizations have worked hard to ensure our lawmakers have the right information to make sound decisions for our farm families across the state,” he added.
The farm rights measure passed the Senate 40-8 and cleared the House 67-30.
