US President Donald Trump’s administration filed a lawsuit against California officials in Los Angeles federal court on Wednesday, alleging that the state’s strict egg production laws have led to a significant increase in egg prices nationwide. The lawsuit contends that California’s stringent bird flu prevention measures and animal welfare laws have resulted in “unnecessary red tape” that drives up the cost of eggs. The price surge has exacerbated consumer concerns about inflation and rising living costs.
The lawsuit names the State of California, Governor Gavin Newsom, Attorney General Rob Bonta, and other state officials as defendants. It claims that although the federal government regulates egg safety standards to protect consumer health under the Egg Products Inspection Act of 1970, California’s laws violate these standards because they impose restrictions on out-of-state egg producers. The lawsuit follows a 2014 case where California’s egg laws were challenged by the states of Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Alabama, Kentucky, and Iowa, which the latter states lost. A 2023 lawsuit by pig farmers against one of California’s initiatives requiring minimum space for livestock also failed, with the Supreme Court upholding the state’s standards.
Source: https://www.dw.com/en/us-trump-administration-sues-california-over-egg-prices/a-73220925?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf
