Arizona Farm Bureau joined forces with the American Farm Bureau Federation and the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) to garner support from 900+ agricultural stakeholders supporting the federal fix to California Prop. 12 to be included in the 2024 Farm Bill.
Laying out robust arguments in a letter to U.S. House Agriculture Committee Chairman G.T. Thompson (R-PA) and Ranking Member David Scott (D-GA) on Prop. 12’s damaging implications, the coalition highlighted the following:
Marketplace mayhem: U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack warned the House Agriculture Committee that unless Congress provides a solution to Prop. 12, there will be “chaos in the marketplace.” Secretary Vilsack also reiterated to the Senate Agriculture Committee that “farmers do not need the chaos; they need clarity and certainty.”
Patchwork of state laws to fuel consolidation: Absent congressional action, producers are “at risk of arbitrary and conflicting state laws across all 50 states…most severely harm[ing] small and medium-sized farms by imposing massive compliance costs and forcing significant consolidation throughout agriculture.” University studies show that building “Proposition 12-compliant barns can cost 40% more than traditional barns…not including the estimated 15% higher operating costs caused by reduced productivity.” Larger farms will be able to better weather the cost, and small farms will be forced “to decide between exiting the business or entering into a production contract, resulting in fewer, larger farms owning a greater portion of sows in the U.S.”
International trade threats: Prop. 12 compliance weakens America’s ability to negotiate trade agreements, “as countries could impose similar non-science based regional restrictions on U.S. exports.” American agriculture is also concerned that Prop. 12 puts our products at risk of retaliatory action, as Canada has already raised concerns.
Producers trapped by California law: Pork producers lack the luxury of choosing not to sell into the California market. As Secretary Vilsack also said to the Senate Agriculture Committee, “There is not a choice between doing business with California and not in California. You’re essentially going to be driven by that requirement.”
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