As of January 1, 2024, Proposition 12 is fully implemented in California, meaning pork farmers and distributors are required to have valid certificates of compliance according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
California's Prop 12, approved in 2018 by a 63% vote, established guidelines on selling food from farm animals raised in tight living confinements. The proposition created a statewide ban on the sale of pork from sows (mother pigs) housed in gestation crates, which are widely used for housing individual breeding sows for the entire gestation period, which is typically 4 months long.
But California is not the only state banning the use of gestation crates, nearly 10 states including Massachusetts, Michigan, and Ohio have passed laws banning their use.
What it Means for Farmers
Under Proposition 12, to sell pork products in California, pigs must have no less than 24 square feet to move around freely at any time in their life. This ban will increase costs, create interstate commerce issues (if farmers want a piece of the California market), and will inevitably increase the price of pork for consumers.
What it Means for Consumers
Pork the way consumers see it in the grocery will look the same, with a higher price tag. The USDA estimates that pork prices will increase more than 7% under the ban in California, resulting in an annual loss of economic benefits worth $320 million.
