WASHINGTON, D.C., Sept. 11, 2025 — More than 100 pork producers from 20 states traveled to Washington, D.C., this week to call on Congress to deliver an urgent legislative fix to California’s Proposition 12, which is driving up costs for consumers, threatening small family farms, and disrupting interstate commerce.
During their time on Capitol Hill, producers met with Members of Congress and staff to share firsthand accounts of how Prop. 12’s costly requirements are forcing sweeping changes across the pork supply chain. Producers emphasized that without federal action, family farms will be left behind, and pork prices could continue to rise.
As part of the fly-in, the National Pork Producers Council rolled out a food truck on Capitol Hill, serving breakfast to lawmakers, staff, and media. Branded with the message “Breakfast is Essential. So is Fixing Prop 12,” the truck spotlighted how a patchwork of state laws, spurred by Prop. 12, threatens affordable access to everyday staples like bacon, ham and sausage.
“America’s pork producers take pride in providing safe, nutritious, and affordable pork to families across the country,” said NPPC President Duane Stateler, a pork producer from McComb, Ohio. “The patchwork of laws set in motion by California’s Proposition 12 threatens our mission by raising prices for consumers, reducing choices, and putting thousands of family farms at risk. Congress must act now to ensure a patchwork of regulations does not further threaten this industry we have worked so hard to build.”
NPPC also hosted its popular Baconfest reception, which brought together congressional leaders, staff, and industry stakeholders to celebrate America’s pork producers and showcase the vital role pork plays on dinner plates across America.
NPPC producers urged lawmakers to include a fix to Prop. 12 in the upcoming Farm Bill 2.0 to restore certainty, protect consumers, and preserve the livelihoods of family farmers.
