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Pork producers push for Prop 12 fix at AFBF convention

A member of the U.S. Meat Export Federation’s executive committee says California’s Proposition 12 law was a focus at this week’s American Farm Bureau Federation Convention in Anaheim.

Matt Schuiteman, who farms near Sioux Center, Iowa, says pork producers are in need of a Prop 12 fix.

“We shouldn’t be telling people in other states how they should produce anything,” he said.

Prop 12 – which went into full effect in 2024 – bans the sale of pork, veal, and eggs in California from animals anywhere in the country whose confinement does not meet minimum space requirements.

Schuiteman tells Brownfield several producers expressed concern with Iowa Farm Bureau leaders at AFBF.

“One of my counterparts on the Iowa board had a conversation with a local place that was selling meat. They made the statement to my counterpart that his price of pork chop had gone from $2 per pound up to $12 per pound and a lot of that was due to Prop 12.”

He says many consumers are facing soaring retail prices.

“That’s not good for demand, but it’s also not good for the consumer. We want to see people have access to affordable, high-quality protein. We have a meat industry that has really done a phenomenal job of being efficient and safe.”

The law, which was initially passed by California voters in 2018, faced legal challenges, but was ultimately upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court leading to its full enforcement in January 2024.

Matt Schuiteman Audio Interview: