Letter: Accident shows need for slaughterho..

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

As the first person in the nation to be charged under a state "ag gag" law for merely standing on a public road and recording the horrific animal cruelty seen at a Draper slaughterhouse, I am disturbed that a worker has now been killed at that very same facility.

According to news reports ("Worker killed in Utah meat-packing accident," Tribune, Oct. 17) a worker was killed on Oct. 17 while operating a skid-steer loader at Smith and Sons Meat Packing Co. The Animal Legal Defense Fund, PETA, and several other plaintiffs, including myself, are currently suing the state of Utah, arguing that its law banning the documentation of abuse on factory farms and at slaughterhouses is unconstitutional.

Working at a slaughterhouse is considered one of the most dangerous jobs in the country, and accidents like these are simply all too common. The accident highlights the need for greater transparency, not less.

Amy Meyer

Salt Lake City

Letter: Accident shows need for slaughterhouse monitoring