California’s ‘Prop 12’ law drives up pork prices

The price of pork has gone up because of California’s new law regarding how producers raise hogs, according to the USDA. The 2018 law, Proposition 12, requires that producers meet certain standards on how they raise their animals if they want to sell the product in California. The California law followed concerns from activists about animals raised in confinements that they consider cruel, where animals don’t have enough room to move. The housing standards in Prop 12 impact pork, veal, and eggs. The USDA report found that prices have risen 19% over the past year in California due to higher costs for producers to meet Prop 12’s requirements. U.S. Representative Ashley Hinson, Iowa’s 2nd District Republican from Marion, is sponsoring the “Save Our Bacon Act.” It would only require producers to follow laws for raising animals in their own state, rather than the states where their products are sold. Eight governors, including Iowa’s Kim Reynolds, have signed a letter in support of the idea.