Animals do not have the rights we accord to people who phone call centers. But should they? That's where discussion of this issue most frequently breaks down.

It's not really about farming or filming. The issue comes down to whether people think it is moral to eat meat. (or meat raised on a factory farm, or meat they did not kill themselves, or some other gradation on the vegan-carnivore scale)

It is not about whether it's moral to eat meat. We have laws that protect these animals from unnecessary cruelty. Their murder is permitted for food production. Kicking them, taunting them, housing them in unbearable conditions - these are all illegal under the law. There is no reason why filming such abuse in undercover investigations should be made illegal, let alone an act of terror. This simply makes it easier for these people to commit crimes.