EATS Act – Protecting Agriculture and Families

On August 5, the Exposing Agricultural Trade Suppression (EATS) Act S2619 was introduced to the Senate. Its purpose is to prohibit individual states and local governments from attempting to interfere with agricultural production methods outside their jurisdiction. The EATS Act was written to directly combat anti-animal agriculture legislation like California’s Proposition 12 and Massachusetts Question 3. These pieces of legislation, as they currently stand, force states wishing to participate in agricultural commerce in California and Massachusetts to abide by their radical extremist-influenced animal agriculture standards.

Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution

The EATS Act would protect individual states and maintains the intent of the Commerce Clause of the Constitution. This clause essentially empowers the federal government to regulate interstate commerce and therefore makes legislation like California’s Proposition 12 illegal as it impedes trade from other states. When states like California try to leverage their laws to influence what other states do, they are stepping over into territory that belongs to federal jurisdiction.

Why the EATS Act is Important

This act is important to U.S. animal agriculture because it prevents any one state, no matter how large or powerful, from imposing its food and agriculture production standards on any other state.