EATS Act introduced to address interstate market concerns

On June 15, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-KS), alongside Republican Senators Chuck Grassley (IA), John Cornyn (TX), Tom Cotton (AR), Deb Fischer (NE), Kevin Cramer (ND), Joni Ernst (IA), Eric Schmitt (MO), Ted Budd (NC) and Bill Hagerty (TN) introduced the Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression (EATS) Act to address concerns regarding interstate markets.

The legislation would preserve the exclusive right of states and local governments to regulate agricultural practices within their jurisdiction, free from interference from other states, ultimately preventing large states from regulating farmers and ranchers outside of their borders.

This would apply to situations such as California Proposition 12, which prohibits the sale of pork from hogs whose mothers were raised on farms — anywhere in the world — that does not comply with the state’s arbitrary standards. It applies to any uncooked pork sold in the state, whether produced there or outside its borders.

The requirements of Prop 12 will increase consumer food prices and drive small farmers out of business. The National Pork Producers Council believes that a state should not be able to regulate pork producers or farmers outside its borders. NPPC supports developing a long-term solution to Proposition 12 that ensures affordable, healthy products remain available to all Americans.