Old North News

Washington, D.C. — Senator Ted Budd (R-NC) has helped introduce S. 2019, the Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression (EATS) Act. The lead author was Senator Roger Marshall (R-KS).

The EATS Act:

• Preserves the right of states and local jurisdictions to regulate agriculture within their jurisdiction, free from interference from other states or jurisdictions. 
• The bill prohibits other states and local units of government from regulating the preharvest production of agricultural products in other jurisdictions.
• Creates a federal cause of action to challenge the extra-territorial regulation of agricultural products.

Senator Budd said in a statement:

“North Carolina farmers should not have their livelihoods upended by laws from other states. North Carolina, not California, should be in charge of how crops are grown and animals are raised within our state. The EATS Act upholds Congress’ authority and preserves North Carolina’s right to determine our own standards.”

Senator Marshall said in a statement:

“The United States is constantly faced with non-tariff trade barriers from protectionist countries, hurting American agriculture’s access to new markets. The last thing we need is a big state like California imposing its will on ag-heavy states like Kansas with regulations that will also restrict our ability to trade among the states. This is a matter of state’s rights. If California wants to regulate agriculture in its own state, that’s fine, but California’s rules should not apply to Kansas, whose legislatures never approved of these regulations.”

Original source can be found here.