Pork producers now have until the end of the year to bring
their housing up to the California Proposition 12 standards.
A Sacramento County judge’s order blocking enforcement of
Prop. 12 had been scheduled to expire July 1, but the state’s ag department
agreed that any product spoken for and in production prior to the July 1
deadline would be grandfathered in.
Judge James Arguelles pushed the deadline back to the end
of the year for producers to become compliant but added that there would be no
more extensions.
The delay gives Canadians a bit more time to comply,
including for weaner pigs, market hogs and pork processed by packers.
The issue is that many U.S. buyers market their pork to California and need to comply.
The regulations, which were upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court earlier this year, require a minimum of 24 square feet for sows - enough space to turn around comfortably.
There are also regulations for laying hens and veal calves.
