In a huge victory for both animal rights and states’ rights, the notorious “King Amendment” was not included in the 2018 farm bill, which sets nationwide agricultural standards. The amendment—named for Steve King (R-IA), who represents the country’s largest egg-producing district—would have prevented states from enforcing laws governing the manufacture of animal products sold within the state.
Inclusion of the King Amendment would have nullified major victories we’ve fought for, such as November’s passage of Prop 12, which banned not only cage confinement of mother pigs, calves, and hens in California but the sale in the state of pork, veal, and eggs from caged animals. It would even have rendered state bans on horse and dog meat, shark finning, and puppy mills unenforceable, as well as laws surrounding food safety, child labor, and handling of diseased livestock. In other words, the King Amendment was a blatant attempt to limit states’ rights in favor of factory farm profits.
Its defeat is thanks to opposition from a diverse coalition of more than 220 groups across the political spectrum, 119 representatives led by Reps. Vern Buchanan (R-FL) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), and 32 senators led by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA).
If they were part of this coalition, contact your U.S. representative and U.S. senators and thank them!
And, as always, the best thing you can do to help end the abuse of farmed animals is to leave them off your plate.
