Washington, D.C. (RI) — Congresswoman Ashley Hinson says she believes the Senate may accept a proposal that would override a California law that does not allow pork sold in California to come from hogs raised in tight spaces.
In 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the law, which requires eggs, veal, and pork to come from animals that have enough space to turn around in a pen. A bid to nullify California’s law was included in the Farm Bill that passed the House last week.
Hinson says officials in both the Trump and Biden Administrations have voiced concerns about California’s voter-approved Proposition 12.
In May of 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled California’s regulations did not impose substantial burdens on interstate commerce, but suggested the National Pork Producers Council and the American Farm Bureau could lobby congress to intervene.
Hinson says her “Save Our Bacon Act,” which was inserted in the Farm Bill, ensures pork producers are not subject to out-of-state mandates that disrupt interstate commerce.
Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman supports Hinson’s proposal, but he says there’s not a single Democrat in the Senate who would vote for it, so he is trying to develop an alternative that could win Senate approval.
KIWA Staff Photo
