The United States Supreme Court has upheld California’s Proposition 12 which rules out sow gestation crates.
It will impact a lot of Canadian hog exports because the big packing plants in the U.S. will want to retain California customers and they are unlikely to segregate their slaughter and processing lines.
Proposition12 requires that no matter where fresh pork comes from, it must be derived from sows given 24 square feet of floor space.
The National Pork Producers Council estimates that costs $3,500 per animal.
The council lost its argument that California should not be able to dictate welfare standards for pigs raised outside its borders.
The ruling may prompt older and small-scale producers to leave the industry rather than investing in acceptable sow housing.
René Roy, president of the Canadian Pork Council, told Ontario Farmer in a brief interview in April that he thinks a number of Quebec producers will quit rather than comply, not only with the California standard, but also with Canada’s major supermarkets requiring a ban on pork from sows housed in gestation stalls.
There is still time, in some cases until 2029, before the Canadian standards come into effect.
