California’s Proposition 12 on pork is misguided and chaotic. Congress needs to intervene.

Proposition 12, California’s meat restriction law, is proving costly not only for Iowa hog farmers but also for California consumers. I am pleased to see the U.S. House Agriculture Committee taking steps in its proposed farm bill to protect producers from a patchwork of state laws like this.

I’m a farmer from Buchanan County, where my family raises hogs, corn and soybeans. Our farm sells more than 40,000 pigs annually, and my husband and I have been involved in this industry for nearly three decades. We raised our family on our farm and like to think that our three children are the best crop we have ever grown.

I’m proud to produce sustainable proteins for consumers while keeping animal welfare a priority. These efforts are carried out while respecting the industry’s WeCare ethical principles, which include food safety, animal welfare, public health, the environment, our people and our community.

By raising less than 2% of the nation’s pork, California should not be telling producers across the country, let alone the top pork-producing state, how to raise their animals.

In 2018, California voters approved a ballot measure known as Proposition 12, which regulates sow space requirements for producers and processors selling certain pork products into the state. It is sad to know that some communities may go hungry because prices went up since the law came into force on July 1, 2023.

Recent data from Office of the Chief Economist, U.S. Department of Agriculture also showed that sirloin, rib and belly costs increased by an average of 20% in California. I saw this first hand. This spring I visited a retail store there. The store employee showed us the box of fresh meat. He said customers asked him why the price of pork had gone up and he told them Proposition 12.

For example, a 1-pound package of national brand bacon was $10.99. My local retailer had the identical brand and size for $4.98. The same store in California had a dozen eggs at the cheapest price of $6 per dozen. The store employee noted that customers didn’t know what Proposition 12 was or remember voting for it in 2018.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s May 2023 opinion on Proposition 12 reminded us that only Congress has the power to regulate interstate commerce. We truly appreciate the support of the Iowa delegation, and we sincerely thank Senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, and Representatives Ashley Hinson, Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Zach Nunn, and Randy Feenstra, for continuing to advocate for the pork industry as they have. and again.

Lawmakers must act now on the farm bill so that hog farmers can have the certainty they need to provide sustainable, affordable and nutritious protein to all consumers in the future and for years to come. Without a fix to Proposition 12 in the farm bill, it opens up a patchwork of state-by-state rules that will emerge in many industries, not just pork.

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

This article originally appeared in the Des Moines Register: California’s pork policies are causing chaos. Congress must stop it.