CHARLESTON — West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey has joined an alliance of 16 states that support the passage of federal legislation to prevent a California law to affect agricultural trade in other states.
The Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression (EATS) Act would close a loophole that leaves states unprotected from California’s Proposition 12, which would overhaul pork production in all 50 states.
The EATS Act preserves the rights of states and local governments to regulate agricultural production within their jurisdictions.
“This law creates an undue burden for out-of-state farmers and ranchers by forcing them to adhere to California’s radical climate change agenda,” Morrisey said. “One state should not be allowed to force its ideology onto all other states.”
The California law imposes some of the most rigorous animal welfare rules in the country. The rules affect all 50 states, as any pork not produced under these regulations is forbidden from being sold in California. To date, California residents buy 13% of all pork purchased nationwide.
If California is allowed to impose its agenda, consumers nationwide can expect to pay nearly 10% more for pork products so that farmers can pay for these additional, more stringent regulations that may not even protect the animals’ wellbeing.
California’s Proposition 12 is an attack on states’ rights. The EATS Act prohibits a state from impeding the production or distribution of agricultural products in interstate commerce if production occurs in another state.
“States can’t regulate businesses and industries outside their borders—it’s overreaching,” Morrisey said.
West Virginia joined the Iowa-led letter with Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Virginia.