Federal Court Upholds California's Prop 12

Ninth Circuit panel ruled in favor of upholding California's Proposition 12 which bans intensive confinement of farm animals.

The three-judge panel reaffirmed a district court's ruling that said California's farm animal cruelty law does apply to businesses outside California that want to sell their products in the state.

In 2018, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) led the campaign for Prop 12 in California which passed with 63 percent of the vote.

Under Prop 12, the Prevention of Cruelty to Farm Animals Act, farmers cannot confine hens, mother pigs, or veal calves in crates and cages so small that the animals cannot even turn around or lay down. Eggs and meat cannot be sold in California unless they are produced under the state's standards.

Animal activist organizations like HSUS say restrictive confinement is not only cruel but also increases public health risks, including a potential outbreak of zoonotic diseases.

The legal team at the HSUS continued to defend the law as fighting off the North American Meat Institute's request for preliminary injunction against the law in November 2019 as well as the National Pork Producers Council in December 2019.

Source: USAgNet