Two Republican lawmakers are pushing legislation in Congress aimed at blocking states from imposing laws that would affect agriculture in other states, but not all Republicans are on board.
Ten U.S. Representatives, most on the far-right House Freedom Caucus, signed a letter led by U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna opposing HR 4417, the EATS Act, because of its impacts to states’ rights and ability to benefit China-owned pork production. The provision is within the farm bill, which needs to be passed before an extension to it expires in September.
“If the House Agriculture Committee adopts this harmful proposal, it will hurt thousands of American farmers, and substantially benefit foreign-owned farms that have come to dominate the domestic U.S. pork industry — especially pork production in the United States under the control of the Chinese Community Party (CCP) in Beijing,” the letter reads.
Specifically, the letter calls out Smithfield Foods, “which controls an extraordinary 26% stake of U.S. pig production and publicly supports the EATS Act.” The letter claims Smithfield is “wholly owned by the CCP.”
“The Bank of China, with a $5 billion ‘loan,’ financed the acquisition of this one-time, legacy American-owned farm business,” the letter continues.
The letter accuses the EATS Act — which stands for “Exposing Agriculture Trade Suppression” — of being a “veiled attempt by these foreign-owned corporations to subvert the will of American voters, who chose to adopt a series of measures through ballot initiatives and state lawmaking to allow more space for animals raised for food production.”
The House Resolution is in response to California’s Proposition 12, a voter-approved law that mandates better conditions for animals in the agriculture industry, including any animals that may eventually be shipped to California.
The law specifically referenced crates — often called gestation crates — used for pregnant pigs. Without the law, some pregnant pigs are often placed in crates so small, the animals cannot turn around. Animal rights groups have argued for years that the crates are inhumane.
The law, passed in 2018, faced pushback with critics arguing that it would hurt farmers. It was challenged, but the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the law.
In a press release touting the letter, the group of signatories pointed to reporting by Fox News on a Government Accountability Office report alleging that the Joe Biden administration has failed to track Chinese investments in U.S. farms.
It found that foreign investment in U.S. agricultural land reached 40 million acres as of 2021, and that Chinese agricultural investment in the U.S. grew tenfold from 2009 to 2016, according to Fox.
“If the Farm Bill includes the EATS Act or any language that nullifies state and local agriculture laws that keep American family farmers in business, we will have no choice but to actively oppose the passage and enactment of the legislation and we will engage our grassroots army to help defeat it,” Kimberly Fletcher, President of Moms for America, which opposes the legislation.
“Ensuring that the Chinese and other multinational conglomerates aren’t allowed to further consolidate food production in the U.S. is a critical component of our legislative agenda.”
FreedomWorks, Moms for America and Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller have all also opposed the proposal.
Other signatories on the letter include Reps. Bob Good of Virginia (the Freedom Caucus Chair); Andy Biggs of Arizona; Tim Burchett of Tennessee; Byron Donalds and Matt Gaetz of Florida; Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia; Nancy Mace of South Carolina; Matt Rosendale of Montana; and Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey.
“Thousands of American-based and American-owned pig farms and distributors are ready to meet the pork demand of the California market, along with supplying McDonald’s, Costco, and dozens of other companies that have also agreed to phase out pork in their supply chains from extreme confinement operations,” the letter continues.
“For American-owned pig producers, the new state laws provide value-added market opportunities. These farmers should be commended for exhibiting entrepreneurial action, not undermined by the federal government.”
