The U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) recently submitted comments to the California Department of Food and Agriculture outlining industry concerns about the proposed regulatory text for Proposition 12, California’s farm animal confinement initiative, the federation says.
Travis Arp, USMEF senior director of export services, explains in the audio clip below that USMEF’s comments are focused specifically on the impact on international trade, including potential logistical challenges for the pork exporters utilizing California’s port infrastructure and cold storage facilities. If exporters are required to indicate the status of Prop 12 compliance on commercial documents, this greatly limits the commercial flexibility for product moving through California – especially pork intended for export that may end up staying in the domestic market.
USMEF also highlights potential documentation and handling problems created by proposed inspection procedures at the California border, detailing how these inspections could be disruptive for exporters whose product is loaded in sealed containers and documented accordingly.
USMEF’s full comments are available here.
