NPPC backs bill to block Prop 12, says law threatens family farms

From an article in MeatingPlace by Chris Moore

“The National Pork Producers Council praised a new bill introduced by Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa) that aims to preempt conflicting state-level livestock regulations such as California’s Proposition 12.

The Save Our Bacon Act would aim to establish a federal standard that prevents individual states from imposing animal housing rules on producers in other states. NPPC President Duane Stateler, a hog farmer in Ohio, said the bill would provide much-needed stability for U.S. pork producers.

“Without legislation to shield America’s 60,000+ pork-producing family farms from heavy-handed, multi-state regulations, many producers otherwise would be faced with business-crushing decisions,” Stateler said.

Supporters of the bill include both President Donald Trump and former President Joe Biden, along with their respective agriculture secretaries.

Opponents of Prop 12 argue it will raise pork production costs, increase grocery prices and drive small farms out of business. But during a House Agriculture Committee hearing Tuesday, Ranking Member Angie Craig (D-Minn.) noted the issue remains complex.

“Any true representative of farm country knows that Prop 12 is a concern for producers on both sides,” Craig said, adding that Congress must balance national standards with states’ rights and the investments producers have already made to comply with Prop 12.

She also cited additional challenges facing hog producers, including labor shortages worsened by mass deportations and ongoing trade disruptions.”