The U.S. Secretary of Agriculture says it’s time to fasten your Proposition 12 seat belts because we’re in for a bumpy ride.
Last May, the Supreme Court upheld California’s Prop-12, which regulates housing conditions for sows and ultimately the sale of pork into the state. The law went into effect January 1st.
Secretary Tom Vilsack told state ag leaders this week, this is a complicated issue on who regulates interstate trade and everyone just wants a simple answer. Vilsack says legislation to override Prop-12 would knock out hundreds of state consumer and safety laws, and more than two dozen poultry and meat processors have signed a letter asking Congress not to sign it. As of now, nothing prevents other states from setting their own standards for pork trade which would further fracture the distribution chain.
