Washington, D.C. — Today, the House Agriculture Committee is meeting for a hearing on the implications of California’s Proposition 12 law, which bans the in-state sale of pork, eggs, and veal from animals “confined in a cruel manner”. The Food Security and Farm Protection Act, introduced in April, seeks to gut Prop 12 and is up for consideration in this year’s Farm Bill. The bill is identical to the controversial Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression (EATS) Act, which was included in last year’s House Farm Bill draft. 

Food & Water Watch Senior Food Policy Analyst Rebecca Wolf issued the following statement:

“The uncontroversial right of states to regulate goods sold within their borders is simply not up for debate in America. And when it comes to factory farming, the case is clear. Proposition 12 and the high court ruling that upheld it are a victory for sustainable, humane farming against giant corporations looking to cut corners at the expense of animal welfare, food safety and the environment.

“Congress must stop wasting time on Republicans’ unpopular EATS Act rebrand. Instead, it’s time to get to work prioritizing real food system reforms that support farmers, consumers and the environment.”

Since its passage in 2018, California’s Proposition 12 has become a routine flashpoint in Congress and the courts. Last month, more than 30 Senate Democrats wrote to Senate Ag Committee Chairman Boozman, urging the committee not to preempt California’s Prop 12 in the Farm Bill. The Trump Administration was the latest to sue the state of California over the law earlier this month.

The Supreme Court first upheld Proposition 12 in 2023. The decision in National Pork Producers Council v. Ross was widely celebrated as a victory against the worst factory farm abuses, and a win for state authority to expand protective measures, affirming that states can regulate goods sold within their borders. The Supreme Court again denied an Iowa Pork Producers Association effort to overturn Proposition 12 just last month.