Gov. Chris Christie on Friday vetoed a bill banning gestation crates in New Jersey, calling it “a political movement masquerading as substantive policy.”
The New Jersey Republican’s opponents are accusing him of vetoing the bill due to his presidential aspirations.
Pork industry groups — most prominently the Iowa-based National Pork Producers Council — opposed the bill. Democrats are saying Christie’s veto was made with an eye to Iowa’s primary voters.
His veto was “not unexpected, that’s for sure,” Democratic state Sen. Ray Lesniak told the Daily Beast, who said Cristie’s “decisions are purely political.”
Gestation crates are so narrow that pregnant sows cannot turn around. They are used to improve feeding efficiency and prevent anti-social behavior during pregnancy. Critics say they are cruel to the animals.
Christie, who vetoed similar legislation in 2013, noted the lack of widespread gestation crate use in New Jersey, and told lawmakers to “using their lawmaking authority to play politics with issues that don’t exist in our State.”
“I will rely on our in-state experts rather than the partisan politicians who sponsor this bill,” Christie said. “These facts are no less true today.”
