In The News
Agri-Pulse: Iowa high court to hear arguments in water case involving ancient legal doctrine
The Iowa Supreme Court will hear arguments Wednesday in a lawsuit that seeks to require the state to adopt a mandatory nutrient reduction program in the Raccoon River watershed, which…
Law360: Pa. Meatpackers Urge Court Action Over Virus Safety Plans
A group of workers told a Pennsylvania federal judge on Tuesday that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s failure to enforce COVID-19 protocols at a Scranton-area meat processing plant underscored…
Law360: 3 Takeaways From Smithfield’s Hog Farm Stench Settlement
When Smithfield Foods Inc. settled nuisance suits brought by hundreds of neighbors over the stench from hog waste lagoons, it placed a major legal threat in the rearview mirror hours…
Law360: OSHA Won’t Fine Meatpacker Accused Of COVID-19 Violations
The U.S. Department of Labor’s workplace safety arm will not cite a meat processing company investigated for alleged COVID-19 violations, despite a lawsuit by workers urging a Pennsylvania federal court…
Iowa Capital Dispatch: Iowa’s ‘ag gag’ has stifled investigations, despite pending court challenges
The legality of Iowa’s controversial “ag gag” law, designed to block undercover investigations at agricultural facilities, could soon be decided by a federal judge.
Bloomberg Law: Tyson Heads for Trial on Claims It Depressed Prices for Farmers
Tyson Chicken Inc. must face a trial on claims that it leveraged its buying power to drive down the cost of chickens it purchased for processing at a Kentucky plant,…
Joint Statement on Title VI Dismissal
The complainants (Food Chain Workers Alliance, the Rural Community Workers Alliance, the HEAL Food Alliance, Forward Latino, American Friends Service Committee – Iowa, and the Idaho Organization of Resource Councils)…
Meat Workers and Allies File Complaint Challenging Meat Processing Corporation Actions, Alleging Racial Discrimination in Disastrous COVID-19 Response
A nationwide coalition filed an administrative civil rights complaint with the USDA alleging that Tyson Foods and JBS have engaged in racial discrimination prohibited by the Civil Rights Act through…
FERN: Judge declares much of N.C. ag-gag law unconstitutional
A federal judge handed a victory late Friday to animal-welfare advocates when he declared that much of North Carolina’s ag-gag law violated the First Amendment’s free-speech provisions. The ruling could…