National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) President Lori Stevermer testified today before the U.S. House Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry, calling for Congress to reinstate a legislative fix for California Proposition 12 in the 2025 Farm Bill.
Speaking on behalf of America’s 60,000+ pork producers, Stevermer emphasized the urgent need for a federal solution to prevent one state’s regulations from disrupting the entire U.S. agricultural industry.
The Industry Impact of Prop 12
Stevermer highlighted how California’s Proposition 12 unfairly burdens farmers across the country by:
- Creating inconsistent regulations where cooked bacon is legal, but uncooked bacon from the same pig is not.
- Forcing farmers thousands of miles away from California to pay for costly third-party audits.
- Driving up production costs, putting family farms at risk of going out of business.
- Increasing grocery prices, with certain pork products rising by as much as 41%.
She praised House Agriculture Committee Chairman G.T. Thompson for including a Prop 12 fix in the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024 and urged Congress to reinstitute this language in the 2025 Farm Bill.
The Need for Stronger Trade Policies
Beyond regulatory concerns, Stevermer also stressed the importance of expanding export markets through trade agreements that foster the free flow of goods. She called for policies that provide certainty and fairness to pork producers, ensuring they can compete globally without excessive tariffs and trade barriers.
What’s Next?
The 2024 Farm Bill originally included all of NPPC’s priorities when passed by the House Agriculture Committee. Now, NPPC is calling for the same language to be reintroduced and passed quickly to protect U.S. pork producers.
The pork industry is watching closely as Congress decides the future of Proposition 12, trade policies, and the Farm Bill, all of which will shape the long-term success of American pork production.
