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Supreme Court to consider NPPC and AFBF challenge to California’s Proposition 12

The US Supreme Court will hear arguments in the National Pork Producers Council and Farm Bureau’s challenge to California’s Proposition 12. The groups contend the law sets unrealistic requirements for pork production by regulating industry standards nationwide.

Proposition 12, which was approved by voters in 2018, seeks to ban the sale of pork from hogs that don’t meet the state’s arbitrary production standards, even if the pork was raised on farms outside of California. The sow has to be housed with at least 24 square feet of space and is able to turn around freely without touching her enclosure.

American Farm Bureau Federation president Zippy Duvall says one state’s misguided law should not dictate farming practices for an entire nation.  He says the organization is pleased with the Supreme Court’s decision to consider the constitutionality of California’s law.  He says Proposition 12 hamstrings farmers’ efforts to provide a safe environment for their animals, while harming small family farms and raising pork prices across the country. 

National Pork Producers Council president Terry Wolters says Proposition 12 would stifle interstate and international commerce.  Nearly all of the pork currently produced in the U.S. fails to meet the standards set by California’s Proposition 12.  In the coming weeks, NPPC and AFBF will file their initial brief with the Supreme Court, which could hear oral arguments in the fall and could render a decision by the end of the year. 

HSUS president and CEO Kitty Block says the Supreme Court has repeatedly affirmed the state’s right to enact laws protecting animals, public health and safety and the group is confident the Court will uphold California’s farm animal protection law.  She says the pork industry should focus on eliminating cruel caging of animals rather than attacking popular, voter-passed animal cruelty laws.