On August 5, 2021 senators Marshall, Grassley, Ernst, Cornyn, and Hyde-Smith, all from deep red states, all solid Republicans, introduced senate bill S. 2619 (IS) - Exposing Agricultural Trade Suppression Act (EATS). As innocuous sounding as the title may be, this is another overt attempt by the GOP to thwart any attempts at bringing a moniker of decency to the plight of America's farm animals.

The bill aims to "prevent States and local jurisdictions from interfering with the production and distribution of agricultural products in interstate commerce." The EATS Act would grant a private right of action allowing affected persons to seek an injunction against any state or local regulation that imposes a production or manufacturing standard on agricultural products that is more restrictive than a standard at the federal level. Modeled after Texas's restrictive abortion law, it empowers individuals to sue the state or locality that requires animal farming regulations more restrictive than a federal standard established.

Here is the absolute fiendishness of the act, as there are almost no federal standards concerning animal farming agriculture, the bill will in one fell swoop wipe out each and every regulation that has been set by every state and municipality throughout the nation! Just read that sentence one more time for it to sink deeper into your consciousness.

The EATS Act is intended to invalidate California?s Proposition 12. Proposition 12 establishes minimum confinement standards for certain farm animals and bans the sale of food products from animals that are not raised in compliance with the standards, which subjects out-of-state food manufacturers selling products into California to Proposition 12. Several legal challenges questioning its constitutionality were already filed against the proposition by the animal farming and meat industries. They were all dully dismissed by the courts. The rulings raised alarms in GOP circles; that states would be able to legislate the treatment of farm animals. Thus this cabal of right wing republicans got together and decided to kill the beast with a single draw.

The lives of farm animals makes for a chapter straight out of Dante's Inferno. Without elaborating too much, be it said that our treatment of these poor and harmless creatures draws from the deepest evils embedded in the human soul. With the federal government held at bay via the senate filibuster rule and the complete lack of any conscience by elected republicans, the heavy lifting in the arena has been done by the states. Now the GOP has decided enough is enough, they will try and kill all regulations in the nation with this one action. We can only hope and pray the Democratic Party will stay true to the animals and block the EATS act in its tracks. Please oppose the EATS act as best you can, especially if you live in one of the states of the aforementioned several senators. Maybe the GOP should change its name to the Cruel and Heartless Party!