WINTHROP, IOWA (RFD NEWS) — The ag sector is weighing in on the Senate’s Farm Bill proposal, with several major policy issues still unresolved despite overall support from farm organizations for the draft framework.
Trish Cook with the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) joined us on Friday’s Market Day Report to discuss the omission of language addressing California’s Proposition 12 and what it means for the pork industry.
In her interview with RFD News, Cook addressed the decision to omit Prop 12-related language from the Senate draft and shared the organization’s perspective on its impact on pork producers nationwide.
“It is frustrating to hear that because in the last two administrations this has been a very bipartisan issue,” Cook said. “This is a states’ rights issue. As an Iowan, I should not be held subject to laws that were passed in California that I did not have any say in.”
Iowa is the second-leading pork-producing state in the country.
She also discussed differences between the Senate and House Farm Bill proposals, noting that the House version included Prop 12 language along with other industry priorities, and addressed whether the omission from the Senate draft was expected.
“It was disappointing to see the draft version of the Senate Farm Bill come out without addressing Proposition 12,” said
Trish Cook, an Iowa-based pork producer with the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC). “We all know the House had the Save Our Bacon Act in it, and that was so important because it preempts livestock production standards so each state can’t set its own rules on housing for livestock that’s produced outside that state.”
Cook highlighted how state-level mandates like California’s Prop 12 are affecting pork producers in leading production states such as Iowa and influencing production and compliance decisions.
“We just have a lot of bad actors who are pretending that they’re pig farmers,” she said. “But again, they don’t understand what goes on on a pig farm, how much we care for our animals, and how we work day in and day out to raise the healthiest animals possible.”
She also discussed the potential implications for the pork industry if Prop 12 is not addressed in the final Farm Bill.
“The folks who are funding this really do not want us raising livestock for agricultural purposes. They don’t want you to have meat, dairy, and eggs,” Cook said. “They’re standing behind some fake rhetoric when the whole goal is just to put us out of business. And if it doesn’t put my family farm out of business, it’s definitely going to consolidate the industry.
Finally, Cook outlined what the industry is seeking moving forward and the next steps in advocating for pork producer priorities as Farm Bill negotiations continue. She encouraged pork producers, no matter where they live, to reach out to the state lawmakers for support.
