WASHINGTON — North-central Iowa congresswoman Ashley Hinson last week introduced a bill to stop California’s Proposition 12 and Massachusetts’ Question 3 which she says are a major threat to Iowa farmers.
Hinson introduced the “Save Our Bacon Act” which would thwart the efforts of the two states to place mandates on production practices for farmers in other states.
During a conference call with Iowa reporters this morning, Hinson says California should not be setting the rules for Iowa farmers. “Here’s the bottom line — California should not be telling Iowa farmers how to raise their hogs. Prop 12 set unscientific, arbitrary mandates on producers hundreds if not thousands of miles away, and it’s hurting both farmers and families. According to USDA, the cost for producers to comply with Prop 12 is up to $4500 per sow. That is devastating for small, family-run farms that don’t have that kind of money laying around.”
The United States Supreme Court in 2023 upheld the California law and earlier this year refused to reconsider the issue. Hinson says passing the bill would let California set regulations for their own farmers but would protect access to interstate commerce for Iowa farmers. “In the Supreme Court’s decision, they noted that Congress had the authority to determine how states may regulate and get involved with interstate commerce. I think that when you look at what we’ve got here, this does exactly that. It gives Congress the ability to enact this legislation to end Prop 12 and push back against what I see as an interstate commerce issue.”
Hinson says she has the support for the bill from Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, Attorney General Brenna Bird, Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig, the entire Iowa House delegation, as well as Iowa Farm Bureau, Iowa Pork, and the National Pork Producers Council.
