Posted November 5, 2013
Representative Steve King (R-IA), one of the conferees negotiating the farm bill is pushing for the bill to include the so called “King Amendment” which would bar one state from imposing production standards on agricultural products that come from another state, according to a KMA Land article available here.
During his statement at the first public meeting of the farm bill conference, King said, “California passed a law that mandates that beginning 2015 no eggs be brought into or sold in the state unless they are laid by hens that are raised in facilities that are effectively double the infrastructure costs to our producers.”
The California law, passed in 2008 as a result of a statewide referendum and requires cages to be large enough for egg-laying hens to stand and spread their wings. According to King, the law would effectively prohibit Iowa eggs from being sold in California.
Critics like Representative Kurt Schrader (D-OR) say the “King Amendment” violates state’s rights. Rep. Jeff Denham (R-CA) said state laws that regulate the sale of raw milk or methods for managing disease in livestock herds could be nullified by the “King Amendment.”
The Iowa delegation remains optimistic that a farm bill can be negotiated before the end of the year, according to an article by the Sioux City Journal, available here. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) said, “I’m predicting we go up to about the Friday before Christmas to get a farm bill.”
For more information on farm bills, please visit the National Agricultural Law Center’s website here.
Share: