The Eighth Circuit Court unanimous rules against the EPA’s release to three environmental groups a vast compilation of spreadsheets containing personal information about farmers and ranchers who raise livestock and poultry in 29 states.

According to the court, “EPA’s release of the complete set of data on a silver platter, so to speak, basically hands to the requestors a comprehensive database of their own, whatever their motives might be.”

Anti-farm activists are complaining a lot about “lack of transparency” in protecting farmers’ business and private information. But they lack transparency in making clear that their interest is in suing farmers. EPA has shown itself to be far more friendly to those who want to sue (and distort the facts ala Whats Upstream) than to those who want to grow our food in an environmentally friendly way.