Canadian and Mexican Pork Producers Supportive of Efforts to Overturn Proposition 12

Jun 27, 2022

The National Pork Producers Council says both the Canadian and Mexican pork industries have been highly supportive of the effort to have California's Proposition 12 overturned. The challenge in the U.S. Supreme Court of Proposition 12, a ballot initiative passed in California in 2018 that bans the sale of pork in that state that does not come from farms that meet specific requirements focussed on the housing of sows during the breeding process, was discussed early this month as part of World Pork Expo.

Michael Formica, the Assistant Vice President and General Counsel with the National Pork Producers Council, suggests this case has implications for everyone in the world.

Clip-Michael Formica-National Pork Producers Council:

For Canadian pork producers it's going to be an issue. There, both pork is coming down but also a lot of piglets are coming down from Canada and being finished in the U.S. and will end up in the market, in the stream of commerce and that pork will be in California. They will have to comply with Prop 12.

Those farms will need to registered with California. They will be subjected to inspectors from the state of California. It's bad enough in Iowa, where we are right now, but if you're in Canada, that's a breach of Canada's s sovereignty. Canada gets to tell Canadians what they're going to do and if you're in Manitoba, Manitoba gets to tell Manitobans or Saskatchewan gets to tell Saskatchewanians what to do, not California.

This is a different country. It's ridiculous but yet that's what's going to happen. The Canadian pork industry is very concerned about this. Likewise, the Mexican pork industry is very concerned and of course the American pork producers are concerned as well. We're seeing an incredible amount of support and we're very appreciative of the support that the Canadian and the Mexican pork industry have shown in this.

Source : Farmscape.ca

Video: Next Mile Ep 1: Navigating Disease Prevention

The Next Mile, host Dr. Meredith Petersen, Director of Swine Health at the National Pork Board, sits down with Dr. Cara Haden, Director of Animal Welfare and Biosecurity at Pipestone, to unpack the National Swine Health Strategy and what it means for producers across the country.

Meredith walks through how the strategy came together: a producer-led effort launched in March 2025 in response to input gathered at the National Pork Industry Forum, built around two core goals, keeping foreign and emerging diseases out of the U.S. herd and reducing the impact of domestic diseases already here, including long-term elimination targets for PRRSV and PEDV.

Cara then brings the conversation down to the farm level, sharing how Pipestone scores biosecurity across seven key areas: air, feed, water, people, supplies, trucks and pigs, plus everything within the farm perimeter. She and Meredith dig into why farm leadership and daily culture, not just protocols on paper, ultimately determine whether biosecurity efforts stick.

Whether you're a producer, veterinarian, or anyone invested in herd health, this episode offers a grounded look at where the industry is headed and what everyday habits make the biggest difference.