U.S. pork producers need a farm bill that protects American farmers from California’s overreach. The National Pork Producers Council represents 60,000-plus real pig farmers in asking for a fix to CA Proposition 12 and the unrealistic patchwork of state laws it sets up—and we’re here to refute claims that don’t match the record on how this one state law has affected food affordability and family farms.
One Question.
One Answer.
A provision known as Section 12006 of the 2026 Farm Bill answers one question: Can California use access to its sizeable market to set farming standards in Iowa, Indiana, Minnesota and beyond?
The Supreme Court said that question belongs to Congress.
Congress answers it with a provision that says California can regulate itself — but cannot reach across state lines to control out-of-state farms.
Section 12006 does not repeal Proposition 12. It does not regulate animal welfare. It does not touch California farms. It ensures stability — for American farmers and the cost of food for all.
The Details: What Section 12006 Says
The Rule
Farmers have a federal right to raise and sell livestock across state lines. No state can attach conditions to how that livestock was raised if the animals were raised somewhere else.
The rule works two ways. States cannot directly impose their production standards on out-of-state farms. And they cannot do it indirectly either – by conditioning a sale on how out-of-state animals were raised.
Livestock raised for meat or dairy. Pork, beef, veal, lamb, and dairy animals.
Poultry raised for eggs. Explicitly carved out.
How a state regulates its own farms. A state can set any standard it wants for animals physically raised within its borders. That authority is fully intact.