It has been learned that on July 9th, local time,
the Trump administration in the United States filed a lawsuit against California for its regulation of eggs and poultry farms. The state’s anti-animal abuse law is accused of creating “unnecessary bureaucracy,” leading to an increase in egg prices nationwide.
The lawsuit was filed in the Los Angeles federal court, arguing that the Federal Egg Products Inspection Act of 1970 should take precedence over state laws. This federal law authorizes the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services to regulate egg products to protect consumer health while requiring safety standards for egg products to be “uniform across the nation.”
California has enacted numerous regulations regarding poultry farms, including prohibitions against farmers confining hens in cramped spaces where they cannot “stand up, lie down, stretch, or turn around.” These state laws are said to aim to reduce instances of animal abuse and foodborne disease risks. However, the federal government emphasized in the complaint that only the federal government has the authority to regulate egg product safety. Moreover, although California can regulate its own poultry farms, it is not entitled to impose additional requirements on eggs sold to California from other states. (Xu Dezhi)