Proposed legislation aimed at protecting South Dakota farmers from potential “agro-terrorism” activities could have a secondary effect of limiting access to some information about the state’s largest animal feeding operations.
Senate Bill 14 seeks to strengthen a set of existing laws that make it a crime for anyone to steal farm animals, release animals, trespass on farms or interfere with farm operations.
As written, the bill also would add criminal penalties for using deception to enter or gain employment at an agricultural operation or to use cameras or other surveillance methods to spy on a farm or agricultural research facility. The bill also would make it a crime to interfere with or destroy crops or structures at farms and agricultural research facilities.
“Essentially, it’s a property protection, property rights bill for farm