• U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack

• 900+ National and State Agricultural Groups

• American Veterinary Medical Association

• American Association of Swine Veterinarians

Tom Vilsack

“When each state has the ability to define for itself and for its consumers, exactly what farming techniques or practices are appropriate. It does create the possibility of 50 different sets of rules and regulations.” There will be “chaos in the marketplace” unless Congress address Prop. 12.

– House Ag Committee, Feb. 14, 2024

“When you’re dealing with 12% of the pork market in one state, there is not a choice between doing business in California and not in California. It’s going to be driven by that [Prop. 12] requirement. “At some point in time, somebody’s got to provide some degree of consistency and clarity otherwise you’re just inviting 50 different states to do 50 different iterations of [Prop. 12]. Farmers don’t need the chaos; they need clarity and certainty.”

– Senate Ag Committee, Feb. 28, 2024

Vilsack said he thinks the Supreme Court “didn’t understand” the pork market when it decided to uphold California’s Prop 12. “Every state has the right to regulate the activities of farmers within their state borders. Where there’s disagreement is whether states have the right or the ability to extend their view about how livestock should be raised to farmers in other states.” Vilsack said that Congress has the opportunity to “set it right” by clarifying that states can regulate what farmers do within their borders but not within the bounds of other states.

– Politico, June 6, 2024

CALIFORNIA PROP. 12

• Livestock farmers, veterinarians, and animal scientists work hard to follow industry best practices to protect the welfare and health of animals in their care.

• Prop. 12 ignores scientific research and facts about animal husbandry, and it reverses decades of progress on farm management and animal welfare. Without a fix to Prop. 12, pork producers across the country will need to comply with initiative or forgo selling into the California market of 40 million people who consume nearly 15% of all pork sold in the U.S. Most producers, particularly smaller ones, cannot afford the significant costs to retrofit existing or build new housing that complies with Prop. 12.

• Prop. 12 will increase prices and shrink supplies of affordable protein for families in California and across the country, while forcing consolidation within the industry, leading to the loss of family farms.

• According to USDA economists, Prop. 12 has spiked pork prices as high as 41% in California.

• NPPC supports including a federal solution to the sweeping issues posed by the Supreme Court’s decision on Prop. 12 in the farm bill.