Rep. Jared Huffman, California Democrat, said he is “very confident” a lawsuit from Missouri chicken farmers against his home state will be defeated.
“Anybody who wants to sell eggs in our state has to meet these minimal hen housing standards,” he said Tuesday on MSNBC. “A state’s right to do that has been upheld time and time again.”
The California law will make it so eggs from hens raised in small cages can’t be sold in California starting in 2015. California voters decided to raise the minimum hen housing standards in 2008 to improve safety and qualify of life for the chicken.
Missouri is suing California, saying that it will be very expensive to convert their hen houses. Critics have also complained that the law sets a dangerous precedent for large states like California to essentially be able to dictate how food is raised and transported.
Mr. Huffman, however, said the law is very fair and that farmers in California will also have to make their hen houses compliant.
“All California has said is they want all eggs sold in California to comply with these minimal standards voters set in 2008,” he said.
• Jacqueline Klimas can be reached at jklimas@washingtontimes.com.
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