Pictured: Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig (right) speaks at Haley Equipment in Carroll while Clay Haley (left) and LaVern Dirkx (center) listen in.
It has been nearly two months since the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a California law, known as Proposition 12, that requires pork sold in the state be sourced from sows housed in pens larger than current industry standards. The ruling will force Iowa pork producers to spend millions to update existing facilities to maintain access to the nation’s largest pork market. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig says California’s Prop 12 forces Iowa farmers and bankers into a difficult position.
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Naig says a few other legal challenges are making their way through the courts, but it is unlikely they’ll be successful considering the Supreme Court’s ruling. Naig says he hears from producers throughout the state frustrated that California can tell Iowa how to conduct its business.
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Prop 12’s proponents argue Iowa farmers don’t have to change their pork-raising practices, but not doing so would cut off approximately 15 percent of the domestic pork market. Naig says the logical outcome of Prop 12 will be higher consumer prices.
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According to Naig, the only path forward to block Prop 12 is for Congress to act, but he says that likely won’t happen anytime soon.
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Naig made his comments Friday during a visit to Haley Equipment in Carroll.