Federal Statute Overrides CA Chicken Welfare Law

In 2010, the California legislature passed a law that outlaws vendors from selling eggs that come from chickens kept in cages that prohibit the animals from spreading their wings. Last Thursday, the House, led by representative Steve King from Iowa, passed a bill that will override the CA statute and permit the sale of imported eggs from distributors that do not adhere to the welfare standards. According to the Los Angeles Times, the statute has incited a slew of criticism from lawmakers who view it as possibly detrimental to the nearly 150 different animal-welfare laws around the country as well as a hazard to California farmers’ livelihood. “This bill threatens the ability of every state to protect consumers and animals and would put California egg farmers out of business,” said state representative Jared Huffman to the news source.