National Pork Producers Council on Prop 12

California's Proposition 12, now fully enforced, imposing strict standards for selling food from farm animals. National Pork Producers Council president and pork producer from Minnesota, Lori Stevermer, says that it has had significant repercussions for the whole country.

“We are looking forward to the farm bill as finding a federal solution for Prop 12. That's what the Supreme Court said it's an issue and it said that Congress needs to fix it. So we're looking to Congress to fix it. And really, as we talk about the situation, I mean, the comments that I hear from producers are we don't want a patchwork of regulations across the country. And so we're looking to get that federal solution to avoid that patchwork.”

Stevemer says some of the concerns that have been raised by producers are now materializing.

“We're seeing prices of select pork products 20% higher in California now that prop 12 was in effect versus before Prop 12. We're also seeing consumption of fresh pork declining eight to 10%. So higher prices, lower availability is not the right situation in California, especially for those individuals that already have concerns about food availability and food affordability.”

Proposition 12 was passed in 2018. By California voters. It establishes new standards for confinement as specified farm animals and bans the sale of noncomplying products.