"Ag-Gag" Laws: Evolution, Resurgence, and Public Health Implications

Overview

Journal New Solut

Publisher Sage Publications

Specialties Environmental Health
Occupational Medicine

Date 2018 Nov 20

PMID 30451569

Citations 4

Authors

Caitlin A Ceryes

Christopher D Heaney

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The term "ag-gag" refers to state laws that intentionally limit public access to information about agricultural production practices, particularly livestock production. Originally created in the 1990s, these laws have recently experienced a resurgence in state legislatures. We discuss the recent history of ag-gag laws in the United States and question whether such ag-gag laws create a "chilling effect" on reporting and investigation of occupational health, community health, and food safety concerns related to industrial food animal production. We conclude with a discussion of the role of environmental and occupational health professionals to encourage critical evaluation of how ag-gag laws might influence the health, safety, and interests of day-to-day agricultural laborers and the public living proximal to industrial food animal production.

Citing Articles

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Gigot C, Pisanic N, Kruczynski K, Rivera M, Spicer K, Kurowski K mSphere. 2023; 8(1):e0052222.

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Animal Agriculture and Climate Change in the US and UK Elite Media: Volume, Responsibilities, Causes and Solutions.

Kristiansen S, Painter J, Shea M Environ Commun. 2021; 15(2):153-172.

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Transmission of Antimicrobial-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Clonal Complex 9 between Pigs and Humans, United States.

Randad P, Larsen J, Kaya H, Pisanic N, Ordak C, Price L Emerg Infect Dis. 2021; 27(3):740-748.

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Applying an environmental public health lens to the industrialization of food animal production in ten low- and middle-income countries.

Lam Y, Fry J, Nachman K Global Health. 2019; 15(1):40.

PMID: 31196114 PMC: 6567672. DOI: 10.1186/s12992-019-0479-5.

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