Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel says it's not appropriate for the state to join a Missouri lawsuit that challenges California restrictions on egg production, but he supports the border state's efforts.
McDaniel said Tuesday that California rules that ban importation of eggs from hens kept in cages smaller than a certain size don't affect Arkansas producers because they already meet the guidelines.
But, McDaniel said, he supports the Missouri lawsuit because one state should not be able to cause harm to another state's agriculture production.
Arkansas produces about 1 billion eggs per year, but only a small portion is shipped to California.
The attorney general said California's restrictions appear to violate the Commerce Clause.
McDaniel said he may file a friend of the court brief in support of Missouri's challenge.