Special Alert: California Proposition 12 Releases New Guidance

What do I do with noncompliant whole pork meat in inventory that was purchased prior to July 1, 2023? Who enforces Prop 12 prohibitions on the sale of noncompliant covered product?

These questions and more are answered in the California Department of Food and Agriculture Animal Care Program's recent guidance titled "Questions and Answers Related to Pork Sales in the Wake of the 2023 Supreme Court Decision."

Who enforces Animal Confinement regulations?

This question has a been a big one for pork producers as they wrap their minds around the changes that will need to take place.  According to CDFA, the Prop 12 regulations provide that CDFA will be the agency responsible for implementing the provisions of the regulations including registration, accreditation, certification and document inspection.

"When fully implemented, including third-party certification of compliance which is required for distributor registration in 2024, the regulations and CDFA activity will provide the framework for consumers and other end-users like retailers, grocers, and restaurants to have confidence that the covered product they buy or sell in California is compliant with Prop 12," the guidance says. 

The California Department of Food and Agriculture Animal Care Program will also be hosting a Prop 12 Implementation Webinar Series consisting of three webinars reviewing Prop 12 Animal Confinement regulations and requirements for end-users, distributors and pork producers.

Read more:

How Will Proposition 12 Affect U.S. Exports and Imports of Pork?
As of July 1, all transit product is supposed to be labeled accordingly for export, for trans-shipment or “not Prop 12 compliant.” 

More Uncertainty for Pork Industry in a Very Uncertain Market
The Supreme Court’s ruling on Proposition 12 has added “a whole bunch more uncertainty to a very uncertain market,” said Lee Schulz, Iowa State University ag economist and Extension livestock specialist.

Prop 12 Ruling: A Major Blow to Farmers and Consumers Who Will Pay the Price
There’s no question the Prop 12 ruling is bad news for U.S. pork producers who will have to comply with this California law, says NPPC's Michael Formica. But farmers aren’t the only ones who will suffer. Here's why.

Ripple Effect of Prop 12 Will Be Nothing But Bad News, Rep. Johnson Says
If California can regulate how pregnant sows are treated 2,000 miles away, that means every state can do that for every agricultural product, warns South Dakota Representative Dusty Johnson on AgriTalk.

Prop 12 Reactions: From Hogwash to Delight
Disappointment, frustration and disbelief shook the U.S. pork industry when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled to uphold California’s Proposition 12. Meanwhile, animal activist groups called it a win.

BREAKING: Supreme Court Backs California Prop 12
The U.S. Supreme Court upheld California’s new humane-pork law, rejecting an industry challenge in a ruling strengthening the power of states to impose rules that have a broad economic impact on other states.