Federal bill would nullify animal welfare laws

Angela Holbert, Maidsville
Recently, a dangerous bill called the Protect Interstate Commerce Act (H.R. 3599/H.R. 4879) was added to the Farm Bill in Congress; it would severely restrict the ability of states to choose how to manage their agricultural sectors and could have harmful effects on animal welfare, consumers, the environment and labor laws.
If passed, this legislation would force West Virginia to engage in commerce with products that were produced in ways which violate the state’s laws regulating food production.
This massive overreach of the federal government’s power would effectively nullify the animal welfare laws of many states, such as bans on cruel gestation crates and battery cages. In addition, because of the law’s unclear language, it could affect state food safety laws, farm worker protections and environmental regulations.
This reckless proposition would effectively undo decades of progress in farm animal welfare reform and would compel states to engage in practices that their citizens rejected.
Federal legislation should seek to provide a bedrock for state legislation to build off of as opposed to trying to nullify and cancel it out. The Protect Interstate Commerce Act represents a precarious assault on states’ rights.
I urge Rep. David McKinley to vote against it and for all registered voters to contact their representatives to ask them to do the same.