U.S. Republicans continue push to override California animal welfare law

Washington | Reuters — U.S. Republicans continued on Wednesday a years-long effort to override a 2018 California legislation that bans the sale within the state of pork from pigs saved in tightly confined areas, arguing in a Home Agriculture Committee listening to that the legislation is overly burdensome to farmers.

Proposition 12, usually referred to as ‘prop 12,’ which additionally units housing requirements for veal and eggs offered within the state, was upheld by the Supreme Court docket in 2023 after a authorized problem by the pork business.

Why it issues: Canadian pork producers are concerned Proposition 12 will cut back their potential to promote weanlings, hogs and pork into the U.S., a significant market, on account of variations in animal care laws.

President Donald Trump’s administration sued California on July 9 over the legislation’s provisions for hen housing, arguing it has contributed to larger egg costs.

Committee Chair Glenn “GT” Thompson has sought to limit the law’s scope to California farmers, excluding farmers from different states who promote pork into California, within the subsequent farm invoice. The invoice is an omnibus funding bundle handed each 5 years, and which is 2 years overdue.

“The price of compliance for small producers might really push them out of the market altogether, resulting in additional consolidation within the business,” Thompson stated in Wednesday’s listening to.

The problem has divided the pork business. Some hog farmers and pork firms oppose overturning the legislation, as they’ve already made investments to conform.

“There are literally thousands of farmers throughout the nation who assist and rely on commonsense bans towards the merciless confinement of livestock,” stated Matt Bershadker, CEO of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, in a press release.

The common price of retrofitting or rebuilding barns to fulfill Prop 12’s requirements is about $3,500 to $4,500 per sow, in line with a letter despatched from Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to Thompson on July 21 and launched by the agriculture committee.

The common retail costs of pork cuts corresponding to bacon and ham have risen about one per cent since January 2024, when Prop 12 went into full impact, in line with information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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