(Radio Iowa) – The U-S Agriculture Secretary says she’s open to federal action in response to a California state law that would restrict the way farmers in Iowa raise pigs. Iowa Congresswoman Ashley Hinson, a Republican from Marion, asked about the issue in a House budget hearing. Supporters say California’s Proposition 12 improves animal welfare, but Hinson and many in the pork industry say it imposes a financial burden on producers.

The California law requires certain cuts of pork sold in the state to come from breeding pigs with at least 24 square feet of space. U-S Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins said state laws that have a significant impact outside their borders are not sustainable.

Hinson has introduced legislation in the past to prevent states from enacting stricter regulations on animal agriculture than federal law requires.