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Pork producers push for Prop 12 fix in farm bill

Pork producers want to see an answer to California’s Proposition 12 in the new farm bill.

Duane Stateler, an Ohio producer and president-elect of the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC), says they want to avoid a patchwork of regulations across the country…

“I don’t think it’s good for our industry or any industry.”  He says, “If we had that with everybody’s industry, that would be a real mess for every entity, whether you were making toys or whatever it is.  Hopefully we can get something resolved that we can do away with this patchwork.”

NPPC CEO Bryan Humphreys tells Brownfield…

“A lot of opportunity there and a lot of allies across agriculture who understand the threat this brings, including Secretary Vilsack from USDA, recognizing the chaos that it could bring,” he says.

Lori Stevermer, president of NPPC and a Minnesota producer, says it’s a top priority…

“There’s been discussion on a federal preemption, and that’s really what we hear a lot from our producers is we can’t have 50 states with 50 different regulations.”  She says, “So, we’re focused on something that helps bring some comfort to the industry, that they’ll have some stability there.”

The organization says Prop 12 hurts farmers across the country and is expected to lead to increased prices at the grocery store. 

Brownfield spoke with Stateler, Humphreys, and Stevermer at the recent National Pork Forum in Chicago.

AUDIO: Bryan Humphreys, NPPC CEO