"For decades, the meat industry has been attempting to thwart undercover investigations with so-called 'ag-gag laws,' state laws that criminalize the unauthorized recording of livestock farm operations. One way investigators have persisted, however, is with the use of drone technology, which can enable investigators to document conditions on farms that may not align with the claims on the label. Drone footage supplied key evidence in a case brought by animal advocacy group Animal Outlook against Alderfer Poultry Farm, Inc., a Pennsylvania egg brand that advertised its eggs as 'free-roaming,' when footage revealed some of these hens were not afforded better welfare conditions in reality.
Alderfer has now agreed to settle the lawsuit for $287,500 and pledged to remove the “free-roaming” claim from its products. The company’s eggs are sold in stores in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states, according to Animal Outlook. Sentient contacted Alderfer for comment but did not receive a reply."