ag-gag

[ ag-gag ]

adjective

1. being or relating to legislation that aims to prevent whistleblowing within the agricultural industry, especially by outlawing unauthorized filming or photography on farms:

   Courts have found some state ag-gag laws unconstitutional due to violation of the First Amendment.

Word History and Origins

Origin of ag-gag¹

First recorded in 2010–15; popularized in 2011 by U.S. journalist Mark Bittman (born 1950); shortened from agricultural ( def ) + gag ¹( def )

Example Sentences

The law is similar to so-called state ag-gag laws — aimed at gagging undercover activists who record footage of the animal agriculture industry — that have been struck down by several courts around the country over free speech concerns.

From Seattle Times

This decision is particularly important, he said, because it ties together several elements used in other recent “ag-gag laws” — it did not specifically target agriculture, it created civil liability rather than a new crime, and it focused on recording and data collection.

From Washington Post

"State and federal authorities have consistently shielded factory farms from transparency and accountability," said Matthew Strugar, an attorney who has been involved in every successful effort to overturn "ag-gag" statutes in the United States.

From Salon

As Bolotnikova noted, the case "began after the activists published undercover footage revealing gruesome conditions at Smithfield, the nation's largest pork producer," in violation of Utah's 2012 ag-gag law criminalizing the collection of evidence of animal abuse and other illegal activities on factory farms.

From Salon

In recent years, nearly a dozen states have passed so-called “ag-gag” laws that criminalize the taking of unauthorized video or photos on animal farms, though courts in recent years have struck down five of them as unconstitutional.

From New York Times