Story written by Brittney Bagiardi
Dan Matthews, Senior Vice President for the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), spoke out Tuesday night against Hillsborough Republican state Senator Jim Norman's bill known as SB 1246 Tuesday night at the University of South Florida's Marshall Student Center. If passed, the bill would make taking photographs and video footage in Florida farms illegal.
"We have invited Jim Norman to join us tonight. He failed to acknowledge our calls and emails. Maybe he is not as passionate about his as he says he is," Matthews said.
Matthews believes farms and slaughterhouses need mandatory video surveillance. Without the footage, animal cruelty and employee turnover rates will sky rocket. "We've gone in there not to just obtain an image, but to obtain evidence, " he told the crowd.
This article appears in Mar 31 – Apr 6, 2011.