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Missouri pork industry watching farm bill for Prop 12 fix

The chairman of the Missouri Pork Association’s Board of Directors says the right to farm remains important for U.S. hog farmers.

“We want to be able to raise the pigs and do it the way we know how, which is best for the pig.”

Mike Diggs with Smithfield Foods says some view California’s Proposition 12 law as a conflict with a farmer’s right to farm, and others have adapted their production practices to meet the requirements.

“As people make the choice as to whether they want to do Prop 12 or not, I think we need to make sure the guidelines and rules are black and white of what it is, because we don’t want that to change into production is now many square foot. In other words, you don’t have states change the rules for other people.”

California’s Proposition 12 law, known as the Farm Animal Confinement Initiative, sets the minimum space required to raise layers, pigs and veal, and if those standards aren’t met, the products can’t be sold in the state.

Diggs tells Brownfield he’s optimistic U.S. lawmakers will be able to address any concerns surrounding Proposition 12 in a Farm Bill 2.0.

“The farm bill could get hung up again, we just don’t know. The National Pork Producers Council is working on our behalf, getting the guidelines and making sure everyone knows the rules we’re playing by.”

Brownfield interviewed Diggs at the Missouri Pork Expo.