Hog farmers from Virginia, North Carolina and Iowa were in Washington, D.C., this week, but it wasn’t to see lawmakers. We visited the Capital Area Food Bank, where we delivered a $100,000 donation of pork – more than 215,000 servings of nutritious and delicious protein for those in need in one of our nation’s largest cities.
This donation was first announced at the annual gathering of the metro region’s restaurant association awards gala, and the crowd was every bit as excited about the contribution as they were to see the winner of the $100,000 Pork Chop Challenge.
That was a bit of a surprise to us. It told us that while restaurant owners love to support one another and promote their industry, they also recognize the deep need for affordable food – especially protein – in this country.
The fact is that pork products are most popular in some of our most economically vulnerable communities. Like many other foods at the grocery store, pork is experiencing daunting price increases. One reason for this is because of a mandate from California, known as Proposition 12, that went into effect on Jan. 1.
The Prop 12 mandate banned sales in California of pork products from farms anywhere in the nation – or world – that the state of California has not certified as conforming to an arbitrary husbandry standard for pregnant pigs.
Backers of Prop 12 oppose modern agriculture. In advancing the mandate in California, they promised consumers no one would notice the difference at the checkout counter. Today, Prop 12 is a pocketbook issue across the nation.
According to research firm Circana, prices for products that Prop 12 covers “are now 20 percent higher in California” than before the proposition went into effect. Another recent study from the University of California found that since the law went into effect, there has been a 16% jump in the cost of bacon, 17% in the price of pork ribs, and 41% in pork loin.
Ninety-six percent of pig farms are family-owned, struggling to survive in the face of price increases, reduced sales and Prop 12’s onerous and misinformed demands. We believe strongly that producers, working with their veterinarians and their customers, should continue to be the ones who make the decisions about their livestock and farms, with options, not mandates.
We are grateful that members of the House Agriculture Committee have recognized this. They stood up for American pork producers when they voted for the farm bill, which includes a key provision to fix Prop 12.
For the sake of our American pig farmers and all those they serve at every type of table – from fine dining to kitchen, picnic, pantry and, yes, food banks – we urge the Senate to pass a farm bill that also includes a fix to Prop 12.
Josh Coombs is a hog farmer from Clinton, North Carolina. Reggie Strickland is a hog farmer from Mount Olive, North Carolina. Both are members of the NC Pork Council board of directors.