Pork Producers Want Prop 12 Put Out to Pasture

The pork industry is still trying to turn California’s Proposition 12 into yesterday’s slop bucket.

The wrinkle: National Pork Producers Council CEO Bryan Humphreys said at World Pork Expo that he expects Congress to pass legislation addressing Prop 12, which requires pork sold in California to meet specific animal-housing standards. The industry says it has been talking with members of the Senate Agriculture Committee and wants a fix included in the farm bill.

How we got here: The House-passed farm bill already includes a Prop 12 fix, and pork groups say the bill checks several producer boxes, including disease prevention, trade promotion, and regulatory certainty. Convenient, if you enjoy your policy with a side of bacon.

The pushback: California voters approved Prop 12 in 2018, and the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the law in 2023. Now the fight shifts back to Congress, where supporters of a federal override are trying to thread the needle between national supply chains and state voter mandates.

Why it matters: Pork producers say state-by-state livestock rules make national food systems more expensive and complicated. Animal welfare advocates say California voters already spoke. Either way, Congress is once again being asked to referee a food fight with actual hogs involved.