What happened: In wide-ranging testimony before the House Agriculture Committee, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said Congress needs to fix California Proposition 12.
Prop. 12 bans in the state the sale of pork from hogs born to sows raised anywhere in the world in housing that fails to meet California’s arbitrary standards.
“When each state has the ability to define for itself and for its consumers, exactly what farming techniques or practices are appropriate,” Vilsack testified, “It does create the possibility of 50 different sets of rules and regulations.”
The agriculture secretary said there will be “chaos in the marketplace” unless congressional lawmakers address Prop. 12.
NPPC’s take: NPPC has fought against Prop. 12 for the past five years, including challenging it before the U.S. Supreme Court, and is working with members of Congress on a solution to the problems created by the law.
Why it matters: Pork producers across the country who do not comply with Prop. 12 must forgo selling into the California market of 40 million people who consume nearly 15% of all pork sold domestically. With producers losing an average of $30 — sometimes exceeding $40 to $60 — on each hog marketed in 2023 and with continued challenges expected in 2024, most can’t afford the millions of dollars it would cost for a new sow barn or to retrofit an existing one. The negative effects of Prop. 12 would be compounded if other states were to adopt similar restrictive laws and regulations.
