Trump Administration Sues California Over Egg Laws, Citing Nationwide Price Hikes

The legal action, submitted in federal court in Los Angeles, centers on the argument that California’s state laws conflict with the federal Egg Products Inspection Act of 1970. Per Reuters, the lawsuit claims that the federal statute establishes the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services as the sole authorities responsible for regulating egg safety to protect public health. It also mandates uniform national standards for egg safety, which the Trump administration argues California has undermined.

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In recent years, California has enacted voter-approved measures — notably in 2008 and 2018 — that set specific space requirements for egg-laying hens. These measures mandate that hens must be able to lie down, stand up, fully stretch their limbs, and turn around without obstruction. The laws apply not only to California producers but also to out-of-state egg suppliers who wish to sell in California.

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While California officials have justified the laws as efforts to combat animal cruelty and reduce the risk of foodborne illness, the federal government argues that only national agencies have the authority to impose such requirements on egg production and sale. According to Reuters, the Trump administration’s lawsuit emphasizes that California’s approach effectively regulates out-of-state producers, a role reserved for federal regulators.

This is not the first time California’s animal welfare laws have faced legal challenges. In 2014, six states — Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Alabama, Kentucky, and Iowa — mounted a similar challenge, arguing that California’s egg laws conflicted with federal statutes. However, those lawsuits were unsuccessful in both district court and the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The most recent lawsuit also follows a 2023 U.S. Supreme Court decision that upheld California’s 2018 animal welfare ballot measure. That initiative extended space requirements not only to hens but also to pigs and cows, prompting objections from out-of-state pork producers. The high court rejected their argument that California’s law unlawfully interfered with interstate commerce.

Source: Reuters