The nation’s pork producers are feeling the fallout of California’s Proposition 12.
AgDay’s Michelle Rook said this is a huge blow to the nation’s pork producers, especially when it comes to interstate commerce.
“The pork industry has exhausted all legal options,” Rook said on AgDay. “They’re now calling on Congress to pass national legislation to ban states from adopting their own production rules.”
Congress could include this in the new farm bill, she pointed out, so the pork industry is increasing the pressure as the House Ag Committee prepares to release its first text on the bill.
“You have one state dictating what you have to do to sell product in their state,” said Steve Meyer, livestock economist with EverAg. “That’s still a big deal. It’s something I don’t think we want to deal with on a state-by-state basis.”
The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) said it also creates a dangerous precedent.
“The scariest thing to us, of course, is a patchwork of state regulations,” said Chase Adams, NPPC senior director of congressional relations. “We already have a patchwork of two regulations with California Prop 12 and Massachusetts Question 3. Being Q3 compliant isn’t necessarily Prop 12 compliant, whereas Prop 12 compliant is Q3 compliant, so it’s already a mess out there. That’s why we need Congress to take firm action to address this issue.”
Adams said they expect to see text in the House version of the farm bill to prevent states from regulating producers nationwide. In the Senate, the Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression (EATS) Act has been introduced, but inclusion of a fix in the farm bill is unclear according to Senate Ag Committee members at a recent farm bill listening session in South Dakota.
Members of the Senate Ag Committee shared their thoughts on the issue with Rook.
“It’s a huge issue and we’re working hard on this,” John Boozman (R-AR) said.
The challenge is figuring out a mechanism to deal with it, he added.
John Thune (R-SD) said, “I don’t know if we can get consensus among some of our colleagues on the other side of the aisle on the debate, but this issue is not going away.”
Meanwhile, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack has testified to Congress that they need to address the issue or there will be market consequences.
“I’m not sure that this Congress is going to be able to pass legislation with due respect,” USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack said. “But let me suggest that if we don’t take this issue seriously, we’re going to have chaos in the marketplace because there’s nothing preventing any state from doing what California did.”
The pork industry is looking to Congress to act accordingly so producers can have certainty and consumers can have affordable pork prices.
Read More:
AgriTalk: Behind the Smoke and Mirrors of Proposition 12
No Surprise: Prop 12 Raises Prices for Pork in California
Nothing is Black and White About Proposition 12, Pig Farmer Says
