(Photo: Mark Agnor/Shutterstock.com)

Meat Industry Fails To Block New Animal Welfare Regulations

A Californian judge has ruled against meat industry attempts to block a new animal welfare bill.

Judge Christina A. Snyder turned down a request from the North American Meat Institute (NAMI) — a lobby group for the meat industry — to overturn a new bill known as Proposition 12.

Proposition 12 will force farmers in California to abide by minimum space requirements for animals raised for food. It will also mean that chickens used for eggs can no longer be kept in cages.

NAMI claims that the new regulations violate “the Constitution’s commerce clause” and plans to appeal against the judges decision.

Californian chickens will live cage-free from 2022 (Photo: goodmoments/Shutterstock.com)

You might also like:

Animal Welfare Bill

As well as applying to animals from Californian farms, the state will no longer allow the sale of imported products that do not comply with the regulations. This will force retailers across California to review their supply chain.

Proposition 12 is set to come into effect between 2020 and 2022 after it was voted into law last year. It aims to build upon the progress of a 2008 bill known as Proposition 2. The earlier bill made it illegal to keep farm animals in extreme confinement.

What do you think of the new animal welfare regulations? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!