The recently introduced Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression Act is not only a dangerous step backward for animal welfare, but an unconstitutional affront to states’ rights and American society at large.

I urge my fellow Mainers and animal lovers to speak out against the EATS Act (H.R. 4417/S.2019) and to thank Rep. Chellie Pingree and Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King for opposing the EATS Act. The EATS Act directly violates the 10th Amendment principle that Congress cannot prohibit states from creating legislation to protect public health and welfare.

All kinds of regulations, from those covering puppy mills to those covering commercial fishing operations, could be eliminated if this legislation were allowed to pass. A letter recently sent to members of the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture by 169 members of the U.S. House of Representatives echoed these concerns, noting that the bill would “threaten many other state laws” and “drastically broaden the scope of federal preemption and impede the ability of voters and elected officials to enact laws that address local concerns.”

Please join me in urging our lawmakers to oppose the EATS Act and make sure it is excluded from the 2023 Farm Bill. We cannot allow Congress to years of hard-fought progress and hundreds of animal welfare laws and regulations around the country.

Kim Schwickrath
Old Orchard Beach

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