The National Pork Producers Council states that California consumers are beginning to feel the impact of high pork prices resulting from Proposition 12.
The council’s president claims that some people are even crossing state lines to purchase pork for their families.
According to Duane Stateler, “Black market pork is very real out there because they’ve seen— depending on what cuts— they’ve seen an average of 20-40% increase in their costs. And some people think, ‘Well, why would it be that much different?’ Well, now you have retailers across the United States that are getting product from packers that are having to stop lines and bring this in to run this, so you don’t mix it. And now you have regional warehouses with twice as many spaces required. You have to have the pork chop that is not Prop-12, you have to have the chop that is Prop-12, and then you have to have the pork chop that’s ready for Q3. Every little disruption just raises the cost, and it’s just going to raise the cost to the consumer.”
Stateler says that there is no question a legislative fix will be needed to solve Prop-12 challenges moving forward.
“I think the Supreme Court was probably right. I think this needs to be a legislative fix. That’s why we look for a legislative fix in the Farm Bill. A fix for this isn’t going to cost the government or taxpayers a dime. It’s the legislative part that we’ve got to get done because, yes, other parts of the industry are worried that this could come after GMo, or this could come after anything. It’s a concern for us going forward.”
California voters approved Prop-12 back in 2018. It places housing restrictions for all pork sold in the state.
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