With the beginning of 2024 came new regulations for selling pork in California. After much pushback from many agriculture groups, Proposition 12 went into effect on January 1st, requiring pork to be raised to California’s standards in order to be sold within the state, regardless of which state the pig was raised in. Mike Borgic with the Illinois Pork Producers Association says that some studies on the effects of Proposition 12 are already finding a decrease in pork consumption in the state.
“We don’t have exact numbers of what we’re seeing so far. In some studies that have been done, around 20 percent less pork is being consumed in California now. Before Proposition 12, California consumed about 12 to 15 percent of the pork that is consumed here in the United States, because of the large population, and a large population that likes to eat pork,” says Borgic, “So, they were a huge market force in California. So, we have20percentless pork being sold, but then on top of that, the pork that is being sold there is somewhere between 20 percent and sometimes even depending on the cut, even 40 percent higher in cost for the consumer out there in California as well.”
The Illinois Pork Producers Association has been working with legislators to include language in the Farm Bill to restrict states’ ability to dictate animal care in other states.
