It is now illegal for a person to use false information to get a job at a farm with the intent of doing unauthorized activities. The House and Senate approved the bill early this week, and Governor Branstad signed the bill into law yesterday. The issue comes about after animal rights groups have used false information during job interviews in order to get video of animal treatment at farms. The issue was addressed in the House last year, but most lawmakers regarded the language in the bill as unconstitutional. That bill was an attempt to make it illegal to distribute an undercover video taken at a farm, but this bill focuses on the false information used to obtain a job at the farm. County Attorney Larry Brock says there have been reports that the people who have obtained farm jobs illegally have actually set up the animal abuse they film themselves. Representative Jarad Klein, a farmer himself, says any livestock producer’s first concern is caring for their animals. He says what these people should be doing is acting as true whistleblowers and letting the farmers know of any wrongdoing so they can correct it. But animal rights groups say it’s just an attempt by the agriculture industry to cover up animal cruelty. Governor Branstad has not signed the bill yet. He’s expected to make a decision sometime next week.

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