Pork Producers Call for Action on Prop 12 in Farm Bill

The National Pork Producers Council is speaking out after Senate Ag Chair Debbie Stabenow released the Senate Democrats’ 2024 Farm Bill draft. While the NPPC acknowledges the effort to move the bill forward, they’re calling it “not viable” due to its failure to address California’s Proposition 12.

“This bill ignores the serious concerns pork producers have raised about Prop 12,” says NPPC President Lori Stevermer, a Minnesota pork producer. “We’ve consistently spoken out about the negative impact of this law, and it’s disappointing that those conversations were disregarded.”

Proposition 12, a California law setting stringent standards for livestock housing, has been a point of contention among pork producers nationwide. Earlier this year, the NPPC secured full support for its priorities in both the House Agriculture Committee’s bipartisan Farm Bill and Senate Ag Ranking Member John Boozman’s Farm Bill Framework. However, those provisions were left out of the latest draft.

The NPPC is urging Congress to work quickly to pass a Farm Bill that includes a legislative fix to Prop 12. Without it, the organization says the regulatory challenges will continue to disrupt their operations and impact pork availability across the country.