SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - Uncovering animal abuse in Utah could get more difficult.
House Bill 187 would outlaw taking pictures or recording pets and farm animals on agricultural land.
Anyone can take pictures of farm animals from public property, but if someone stepped just one foot onto the land and took one picture; they would be breaking the law.
Hidden cameras unveil a once unseen world of animal abuse.
They showed the world animal abuse in a United States Chicken farm revealing chickens with broken legs, shackled up-side-down alive and scalded in near boiling water to remove their feathers.
The video was captured by animal rights groups.
Animal Advocacy Alliance of Utah spokesperson Anne Davis says pictures are powerful in Utah too.
"I've seen pictures of horses that are near starving. I've seen pictures of animals that are trapped in an area that's confining, too small for them," said Davis.
She says the pictures have protected the animals in every case.
Davis is not advocating trespass, but says abused it must be protected.
HB 187 would make it illegal for anyone spotting animal abuse on private property to take a picture.
Dale Smith who co-owns Dale Smith and Sons Meat Packing Company in Draper supports the bill.
"I feel like those who are in the Ag business do a good job of policing themselves," said Smith.
Darrel turned the table on Anne asking what she would think if he snooped on her property.
"My going to Ann Davis' place and opening up her garage and having a look around?" said Smith.
So where is the line drawn when it comes to capturing abuse on video?
"In the hearing they brought up the fact that a child could be on a property on a field trip and if he or she took a picture that's a class A misdemeanor. That's absurd," said Davis.
HB 187 is on the house floor.
