BOISE, Idaho (AP) - The founder of Greek yogurt maker Chobani is asking Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter to veto a bill that jails for up to a year people who secretly film animal abuse at Idaho’s agricultural facilities.
Hamdi Ulukaya in a statement on Friday says the law would limit transparency, could cause general public concern, and conflicts with the company’s views and values.
The company has a $450 million plant in Twin Falls in the heart of south-central Idaho’s dairy region.
The bill, promoted heavily by Idaho’s dairy industry, comes after videos released by Los Angeles-based vegetarian and animal rights group Mercy for Animals showed workers at Bettencourt Dairy beating, stomping and sexually abusing cows in 2012.
An activist secretly filmed the abuse after getting a job at the dairy.
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