Earlier this year, Maine governor Paul LePage
ominously called on state lawmakers to go after undercover animal cruelty investigators.
After yet another undercover investigation exposed
horrific abuse and food safety risks at an egg farm in his state, LePage chose
to ignore the growing calls for better farmed animal welfare laws—even though the facility’s owner, disgraced egg baron Jack
DeCoster, is a “habitual violator with a
long rap sheet of environmental, worker safety, and animal welfare violations. DeCoster currently faces jail time for his role in a major salmonella outbreak.
LePage bizarrely demanded legislation
that would let officials publish the personal information of the “political operatives who
exposed the abuse in the first place. For LePage, the real injustice was that these
brave individuals were able to come forward and expose illegal and unethical
practices without fear of potential abuse and harassment.
Now some unscrupulous lawmakers are following
through: Late last week, state representative Jeffrey Timberlake introduced LD 1446, a bill that would amend the
state’s whistleblower protection laws to exempt undercover animal protection
advocates who inform state officials about illegal cruelty and neglect on
factory farms. This would let state officials put investigators’ safety at risk
by sharing their names and identifying information.
If lawmakers are trying to intimidate groups
like Mercy For Animals into silence by threatening the safety of our brave
investigators, it’s unconscionable and unconstitutional, and it won’t work.
After MFA’s investigator went
undercover at the DeCoster facility in 2009 and discovered a horror show of
extreme confinement, neglect, and overt abuse, the egg factory farm pleaded guilty to 10 counts of animal cruelty and paid $130,000 in fines and restitution. MFA will
keep advocating on behalf of the countless cruelly confined hens who suffer at
DeCoster’s operation, which is now run by Hillandale Farms, the largest egg
producer in New England.
For his part, Governor LePage has a long
track record of anti-animal policies. He’s vetoed bills to crack down on puppy
mills and to temporarily restrict animal ownership after malicious animal
cruelty convictions, and intervened against efforts to stop the cruelest forms of bear
hunting. The fact that he disagrees with our mission to protect the most
vulnerable animals—those raised for food—comes as no surprise.
That’s why we need you to take action on
behalf of Maine’s abused hens by simply leaving eggs off your plate. Please visit
ChooseVeg.com to learn how.