While foreign markets play a key role within the agriculture industry, American farmers and ranchers also heavily rely on being able to sell their products to other states. A United States Representative is working to protect domestic markets through legislation included in the House?s version of the 2018 Farm Bill.
AUDIO: U.S. Representative Steve King (R-IA 4th District)
U.S. Representative Steve King penned the ?Protecting Interstate Commerce Act.? The bill was recently endorsed by the House Agriculture Committee and included in it?s version of the 2018 Farm Bill. Congressman King says the bill is designed to end unconstitutional efforts by some states to regulate interstate commerce by prescribing the means of production of agricultural goods in other states.
?I wrote the bill to fix that because there?s an enumerated power in the Constitution that reserves the regulation of interstate commerce to Congress, not to the states,? King said. ?Once I realized California was violating the Commerce Clause of the Constitution, I then wrote legislation that prohibits states from limiting the means or method of production of products that are traded in interstate commerce.?
King uses a California egg law as an example. California passed a law in 2014 mandating eggs could only be sold into the state if they came from chickens housed in cages meeting certain size requirements larger than the typical industry standard. King?s bill would allow states to regulate means of production within their state, but not outside its borders. King says this legislation would protect Iowa poultry producers, who raise the most eggs in the nation.
?We are the number one egg producing state. When we get Californians out of the management of our business in Iowa, we do a good job of producing every kind of egg product that we do as professionally and efficiently with as high of food quality standards as there is anywhere in the world. The USDA and FDA regulate govern food production in America. If it?s good enough for the USDA, good enough for the FDA, good enough for the U.S.A, then it?s plenty good for California too,? King said.
The legislation pertains to products listed under the agriculture title of the federal code. Aside from eggs, King?s bill protects items such as meat, grains and ethanol.
