Congress must end misguided pork policies in California

Proposition 12 is proving costly not only for Iowa hog farmers, but also for California consumers. I’m pleased to see the U.S. House of Representatives Agriculture Committee taking action through the farm bill to protect producers from a patchwork of state laws like this.

My name is Trish Cook and I am a farmer in Buchanan County where my family raises hogs, corn and soybeans. Our farm markets over 40,000 pigs each year and my husband and I have been involved in this industry for almost three decades. We raised our family on our farm and we like to think that our three children represent the best crop we have ever grown.

I pride myself on producing sustainable proteins for consumers while keeping animal welfare in mind. These efforts are carried out in accordance with industry guidelines We take care ethical principles that include food safety, animal welfare, public health, the environment, our employees and our community.

By raising less than 2 percent of the nation’s pork production, California should not be dictating producers across the country, much less the leading pork-producing state, how to raise their animals.

In 2018, California voters passed a ballot measure known as Proposition 12, which regulates sow housing space requirements for producers and processors selling certain pork products in the State. It is sad to learn that some communities may go hungry due to rising prices since the law took effect on July 1, 2023.

Recent data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of the Chief Economist also showed that costs for loins, ribs and bellies have increased by an average of 20 percent in California. I have seen this first hand. This spring I visited a retail store there. The store employee showed us the case of fresh meat. He said customers asked why the price of pork increased and he told them Prop 12.

For example, a one-pound package of national brand bacon cost $10.99. My local retailer had the same brand and size for $4.98. The same California store offered a dozen eggs at the cheapest price of $6 per dozen. The store employee noted that customers either didn’t know what Prop 12 was or didn’t remember voting on it in 2018.

The SCOTUS opinion on Prop 12 in May 2023 reminded us that only Congress has the authority to regulate interstate commerce. We truly appreciate the support of the Iowa delegation and sincerely thank Senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, as well as Representatives Ashley Hinson, Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Zach Nunn and Randy Feenstra for continuing to advocate for the pork industry , as they have done for some time. and again and again.

Lawmakers must act now on the farm bill so that hog producers can have the certainty needed to provide sustainable, affordable, and nutritious protein to all consumers well into the future and years to come. Without a solution to Proposition 12 of the farm bill, this sets the stage for a patchwork of state-to-state rules across many industries, not just the pork sector.

Trish Cook is a past president of the Iowa Pork Producers Association and a Buchanan County hog farmer.

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