Laws restricting intrusion onto farms and processing plants effectively representing trespass on private property in addition to the illegal recording of flocks, herds and production practices have yet to be ruled constitutional.  Iowa and Kansas statues have been overturned by federal courts.

The Property Protection Act passed in North Carolina in 2015 was challenged by welfare activists and was declared unconstitutional in 2017 as restricting “free speech”.  North Carolina has appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court for a reversal of the decision.  The petition is predictably opposed by PETA, the Animal Defense Fund and other organizations.

State legislatures have yet to frame a law that will prevent either intrusions or employee activity that would be regarded as constitutional. This leaves livestock and poultry producers unprotected from the illegal actions of zealots including PETA and Direct Action Everywhere.