Seaboard Foods to Limit Sales in California Over Proposition 12
Seaboard Foods, the nation's second-biggest pig producer, said it will limit sales of certain pork products in California due to a measure requiring farmers to provide more space for animals raised for food sold in the state.
The company confirmed the decision on Dec. 17 in an emailed statement blaming the state’s Proposition 12 rule that goes into effect on Jan. 1.
According to company spokesperson David Eaheart, Seaboard will no longer sell certain whole pork products into California, Reuters reports.
Proposition 12 advocates say the regulation, approved by California voters, will provide more humane conditions by allowing farm-raised pigs enough room to turn around, Bloomberg reports.
Pork producers have largely opposed the rule, as Proposition 12 imposes costly renovations to farms that will raise meat prices, at a time when they were already soaring and contributing to the highest food inflation in years.
A study of the initiative’s impact on the pork industry conducted by North Carolina State University agricultural economist Barry Goodwin found construction costs alone for building a new 5,200-sow operation would be $15.6 million; retrofitting existing barns would cost an average of $10 per pig, or $770 million for the industry’s 77 million sows, explained National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) president Jen Sorenson.
More importantly, science doesn't back up the animal welfare claims. For example, this law will prohibit the use of breeding stalls, which let sows recover after delivering and nursing piglets, NPPC said.
The North American Meat Institute (NAMI) said the proposed rules for Proposition 12 remain flawed and more time is needed for compliance. The California Department of Food and Agriculture modified the proposed rules, but NAMI says many parts of the proposed rules remain intact and flawed.
More from Farm Journal's PORK:
Saving America’s Bacon from California’s Prop 12
Bringing Home the Bacon Takes on New Meaning for California Consumers
Delay Implementation of Proposition 12, Food Industry Leaders Urge
Judge Denies Proposition 12 Challenge From Iowa Pork Producers
Supreme Court Rejects Meat Institute’s Petition to Review Proposition 12
Federal Court Rejects NPPC's Petition to Strike Down Proposition 12
Pork Industry Braces for Catastrophic Costs to Implement Proposition 12
