A California law scheduled to go into effect in January will drive up the price of pork production and consumers in the pocketbook, according to the National Pork Producers Council.
Proposition 12 imposes arbitrary animal housing standards that reach far outside of California's borders to farms across the country, and bans the sale of pork that does not meet those arbitrary standards, the group contends.
"The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC), in conjunction with the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), have launched a legal challenge against Proposition 12. California has no significant commercial pork production, relying on hog farms throughout the country to supply its protein. By attempting to regulate businesses outside of its borders, California's Proposition 12 violates the commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution," Rachel Gantz, communications director for the National Pork Producers Council said to the Northern California Record.
California, with nearly 40 million residents, represents approximately 15% of the U.S. pork market, according to the National Pork Producers Council.
Voters approved Proposition 12, the Farm Animal Confinement Initiative on Nov. 6, 2018, according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture website.
The initiative in part says that breeding pigs must have enough room to lay down, stand up, fully extend limbs or turn around freely, and be situated in an enclosure that has a minimum of 24 square feet of usable floor space.
A report by marketplace analysis company Rabobank found that, "based on California’s current population, which over-indexes for pork consumption given its large Latino and Asian populations, Rabobank estimates the state would need at least 255 million pounds of compliant pork per month to satisfy its retail and foodservice needs."
The report continues saying, "as only 1.9% of U.S. pork is produced in California, or 45 million pounds per month, we expect the state to need to import at least 210 million pounds of compliant pork per month from outside the state. Based on current production and projects underway, Rabobank estimates that compliant pork supplies could fall 50% short of Californian’s needs if the law were to be implemented on Jan. 1, 2022."