A California egg law that requires all eggs sold in California to come from hens kept in larger cages is being challenged by Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster for reportedly being unconstitutional
According to Yahoo News, Koster has requested in a lawsuit filed Monday that a federal court ban the law that currently regulates the overall living and space conditions of chickens and their eggs. The California law is reportedly causing tension between animal protection enthusiasts and individuals "vested in the economic interests" of Midwestern farmers.
Koster said the law, which was approved in 2008 and will take effect in 2015, will interfere with the U.S. Constitution by "effectively imposing new requirements on out-of-state farmers." The bill will prevent any eggs from being sold in Missouri if they come from hens that are raised in certain cages.
"If California legislators are permitted to mandate the size of chicken coops on Missouri farms, they may just as easily demand that Missouri soybeans be harvested by hand or that Missouri corn be transported by solar-powered trucks," Koster said, according to Yahoo News.
Under current law, chickens must have 67 square inches of floor space each; but Koster says that the law does not specify a cage size. Instead, he claims that it states that hens must be able to move around.
The Humane Society stated that the law keeps hens from being trapped in housed cages, where they are more likely to be infected with salmonella. They also added that states have a right to protect the health and safety of its residents by passing certain laws.
"Attorney General Koster's lawsuit targeting California's laws, filed just to curry favor with big agribusiness, threatens state laws across the country dealing with agriculture and food safety," Jennifer Fearing, Humane Society's senior state director for California, said in a statement.
