Photographed A Kansas Feedlot Prompting Concerns About Food Safety

A well-known photographer working on an assignment for National Geographic was arrested and briefly detained last week for shooting aerial photographs from a paraglider over a cattle feedlot in Finney County Kansas.

George Steinmetz of Glen Ridge, NJ, was operating the paraglider over a feedlot that contained thousands of cattle. He was accompanied by Wei Zhang of Beijing, China, a paraglider instructor, who was driving an SUV in support of the flight.

According to Hutchnews.com in Hutchison, KS, Steinmetz was working on a story for National Geographic when the incident occurred. He and Zhang were originally arrested for trespassing on the feedlot property. They had been noticed by ranch hands on the property, who notified authorities, and the two were taken into custody even though they had moved off the property by the time authorities arrived.

While each paid a $270 bond and was released the same day, the incident raised a larger question of how "trespassing in the air" is defined. Kansas Livestock Association attorney Aaron Popelka told Hutchnews.com that Kansas law does not define how far up property rights extend, but that a landowner's rights do extend to the airspace above is property. And while federal law allows overflights for air travel, Steinmetz was not making on overflight for travel purposes. He was circling at a low altitude and taking photographs with a "clear intent" to remain in that airspace.

Yahoo News relays a report from takepart.com that indicates that Steinmetz was not charged under the Kansas Farm Animal and Field Crop and Research Facilities Protection Act.

The Finney County (KS) Attorney has not said whether additional charges will be brought. National Geographic has said it will assist in the any necessary defense.

The KLA says they are only concerned about food safety, and that incidents like this one in late June could potentially create a safety issue for either employees or livestock. Association spokesman Todd Dormer said that "unauthorized and suspicious activity should be reported to local law enforcement" as a potential biosecurity issue.

FMI: www.kla.org, www.finneycounty.org, www.nationalgeographic.com