Reposted from: https://www.tsln.com/news/war-over-californias-prop-12-in-dc-this-week/
The war over California’s Proposition 12, which requires that pork sold in the state come from animals raised under certain conditions, was in bold relief this week in Washington.
The National Pork Producers Council brought more than 100 pork producers from 20 states to urge Congress to pass a measure to stop Prop 12, which went into effect in January 2024. NPPC says Prop 12 “is driving up costs for consumers, threatening small family farms, and disrupting interstate commerce.”
In addition to meeting with members of Congress and White House officials, NPPC on Wednesday sponsored a food truck on Capitol Hill, serving breakfast to lawmakers, staff, and media. The food truck was branded with the message “Breakfast is Essential. So is Fixing Prop 12.”
Meanwhile, Farm Action and Farm Action Fund bought ads across Union Station and Reagan Airport, hired a mobile billboard to circle the Capitol and sent postcards in every legislator’s mailbox saying, “Thank you for supporting Prop 12.”
While NPPC says Prop 12 is putting family farmers out of business, Farm Action says “compliant farmers have adapted and are now benefiting from a more stable, premium market.”
“At a recent House Agriculture Committee hearing on Prop 12, farmers were shut out while corporate lobbyists dominated, underscoring why we are taking our message straight to Washington,” Farm Action said in a news release.
