Pork producers push back against California's Prop 12 in new Farm Bill

The U.S. House Agriculture Committee's nearly 1,000-page version of the 2024 Farm Bill includes language that would make it harder for states to regulate how livestock are raised beyond their jurisdictions.

Pork industry leaders say a provision in a Farm Bill draft working its way through Congress would provide a legislative fix to California’s Proposition 12.

California requires pork sold in the state to come from breeding pigs with at least 24 square feet of space. While proponents of the law say it’s a win for animal welfare, many in the pork industry say it imposes a financial burden on producers and consumers. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the contentious law last year in a 5-4 decision.

Chase Adams, the assistant vice president of domestic policy at the National Pork Producers Council, said a solution will need to come through new federal legislation after the Supreme Court ruling.

“They ruled against us. But they said that this is an issue that Congress needs to address,” Adams said during a policy panel at the World Pork Expo in Des Moines.

Adams said the U.S. House Agriculture Committee’s proposed Farm, Food and National Security Act of 2024 would prevent a patchwork of state regulations and give producers more certainty.