I had the opportunity to speak on “Ag Gag” Legislation this past week before the New York State Bar Association’s Committee on Animals and the Law. My presentation focused on procedures for farms to help prevent a problem with undercover surveillance from employees. You can view my presentation below and my handout giving an overview of the laws here. [slideshare id=46222274&doc=aggag-150324092612-conversion-gate01]
An Overview of State Laws Prohibiting Undercover Video Surveillance
The agriculture community has faced problems with animal welfare organizations using undercover videos that are sensationalizing alleged acts of animal cruelty on livestock operations. Larger livestock farmers using conventional production practices and concentrated animal feeding operations are at greater risk. Due to the media attention from these undercover videos, several states have developed legislation aimed to proscribe undercover video surveillance …
“The Times They Are A Changin'” – But Is Your Employee Handbook Keeping Up?
In the words of Bob Dylan, “the times they are a changin.’” But I wonder if farms, ranches and agri-businesses are keeping up with the changing times. I recently read Don Tyler’s article in this month’s issue of the Feedlot magazine titled “Are Activists Courting Your Employees?” Let’s face reality — livestock operations should be concerned of the possibility that animal …
Livestock Feedyards and Potential Liability Issues
If you haven’t done so already, I suggest reviewing the “Livestock & Liability” article by Lauren P. Caggiano (@lcagg on Twitter) on pages 32-34 in this issue of the Feedlot magazine. In this article, I recommend that cattle feedyard operators seek counsel on environmental laws and perhaps hire a Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (“CAFO”) consultant to devise a plan to …
Tradition and Technology
Last week I spoke to the New York Farm Bureau (“NYFB”) Young Farmers and Ranchers (“YF&R”) about finding the right balance between tradition and technology. I thought that I would share a few thoughts from my presentation here. 1. The Use of Technology in Agriculture Is Traditional. Farmers and ranchers have always used technological advancements to increase efficiency, quality, safety, …
Will Be Speaking at the 2011 NYFB Young Farmers & Ranchers Leadership Conference
I am very excited to be one of the speakers at the 2011 New York Farm Bureau (“NYFB”) Young Farmers & Ranchers (“YF&R”) Leadership Conference from March 11 to March 12 at the Holiday Inn in Syracuse/Liverpool, NY. This year’s theme is “Tradition and Technology.” I think this is a great topic as young agriculture producers and business people struggle …
Part Two: How To Find The Right Attorney For You
In Part One, I discussed different ways to locate the type of attorney that you need. In this post, I will give some suggestions during the consultation stage to make sure that you have the right attorney for you. I would like to preface this post by mentioning that not all attorneys give free consultations. Be sure to ask the …