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House Republicans Seek to Override California’s Prop 12 Through Farm Bill

Republican lawmakers cite roughly $3,500 to $4,500 per sow retrofit costs, pressing to insert a provision nullifying the state’s cage size standards in the overdue farm bill.

A hog walks in a holding pen on the Ron Mardesen farm near Elliott, Iowa, in 2021.
The U.S. Capitol building is pictured at sunset on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., November 27, 2019. REUTERS/Loren Elliott/File Photo
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins argues that California’s law has led to a “partial segmentation in the national pork market” resulting in higher consumer prices.
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Overview

  • House Agriculture Committee held a July 23 hearing where Republicans renewed their multi-year push to preempt Prop 12 in the next farm bill.
  • Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins’s July 21 letter estimates that upgrading barns to comply with Prop 12 costs producers about $3,500 to $4,500 per sow.
  • President Trump’s administration sued California on July 9, challenging the measure’s chicken housing rules and attributing higher egg prices to the standards.
  • Bureau of Labor Statistics data show pork prices have risen about 1% since Prop 12 took full effect in January 2024, though a University of Oklahoma study found no significant impact.
  • The debate exposed industry divisions, with animal welfare advocates and some farmers defending Prop 12’s popularity while others warn of farm consolidation and higher consumer costs.