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Northey challenges Vilsack’s stance on King amendment

Iowa Ag Secretary Bill Northey is challenging recent comments by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack in regards to the so-called “King amendment”. 

That amendment to the House farm bill, sponsored by Iowa Congressman Steve King, would prohibit states from regulating other states’ means of agricultural production.  In a recent conference call with reporters, Vilsack called the amendment “a bit troublesome” and said it would create legal challenges and confusion in the market place. 

Northey disagrees and says it’s troubling to him that Vilsack appears to siding with California and the Humane Society of the United States on the issue. 

“To me the King amendment is such an important piece of legislation,” Northey tells Brownfield. “When you look at what California did—and they have a perfect right to be able to change the law about how chickens must lay eggs in California—but I don’t believe they have any right to be able to restrict legal, safe products coming from other parts of the country.   

“What the King amendment does is say, ‘California can’t do that’.” 

Northey says if Vilsack has concerns about the amendment, he should work to address those concerns while the farm bill is in conference committee rather than speaking out against it. 

“The Secretary said there were issues with that,” Northey says. “I’d say, ‘fix those issues’, because the King amendment is important to be able to have in this farm bill.” 

Opponents of the King amendment argue that it is too broad because it would apply to all agricultural products and not just eggs.

AUDIO: Bill Northey (4:17 MP3)

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  states should not have any say in what OTHER states do. regardless of what type of agricultural product is being discussed.

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  Let’s face it here. Tom Vilsack is only speaking out against the King Amendment because he wants more campaign money to roll from HSUS to his wife. Vilsack is either paying a debt or trying to get an indirect tip for services. Vilsack has made him self anohter of the HSUS’s useful idiots.

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