(Natural News) When Wyoming enacted an “Ag Gag” law that made collecting research data on public and private land a criminal offense, many people feared that factory farms would be able to carry out horrific acts unchecked. Now, however, in a huge victory for consumers, Wyoming’s 10th circuit ruled that the law is unconstitutional.
Two years ago, the state passed two trespass laws that outlawed people from going on “open land for the purpose of collecting resource data” unless they had prior permission from the owner. The law’s definition of “collecting” entailed taking samples of material or photos that are intended for submission to a state or federal agency. Last year, an amendment to the law meant that anyone who crossed private land in such pursuits was also acting illegally.
Many environmental groups say such laws stop them from uncovering harmful practices and revealing them to the public, so several of them sued the state. One group, Western Watershed, gets water samples from public lands situated downstream from agribusinesses and ranches to test for contamination with E. coli.
Other groups joining the suit included the Center for Food Safety and the Natural Resources Defense Council. Even the National Press Photographers’ Association joined in because the statute could have allowed criminal charges to be filed against anybody for taking pictures on public land if they accidentally crossed an unmarked private property to reach it, even on a designated public street.
