Minnesota is the second largest hog-producing state in the United States. A lot of meat is sold in California. Voters recently changed the state's regulations on the types of pork that can be sold.
If you order a pork chop, a bacon or a taco anywhere in the United States, the meat in your meal is most likely raised in Minnesota.
As a state, Minnesota's pork production is second only to Iowa. At the time of the 2020 USDA survey, there were approximately 9.3 million live pigs in Minnesota.
Most of Minnesota’s pork is exported outside the state, and most of it is sold in California, the most populous state in the United States. But California’s regulations on what type of pork can be sold to its supermarkets and restaurants will change, requiring more space for breeding sows than today’s pig industry. For Minnesota pork producers who want to enter the California market, the new regulations may require expensive barn renovations or new construction—and they need to earn higher prices for their pigs to pay for them.
In 2018, California voters passed Proposal No. 12 through a voting initiative, and 63% of voters supported the measure. This measure sets requirements for veal, eggs, and pork sold in California.
The initiative requires sows from pork sold in California to have at least 24 square feet of space, and the enclosures are large enough for the sows to turn around and stretch their limbs. These requirements are scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2022. (For hens that lay eggs, this measure requires each chicken to have at least 1 square foot of floor space by 2020 and achieve cage-free operation by 2022; veal must have 43 square feet of space.)
Animal rights activists say that these reforms are an important step in ensuring that the food animals raised are kept under more humane conditions.
“California’s Proposition 12 ensures that laying chickens, sows, or calves are not kept in cages, where they can barely move an inch during their lifetime,” said Josh Bark, vice president of farm animal protection at the Humane Society. Josh Balk) said. American society. "Crowding farm animals in small, barren cages can cause immense suffering, increase food safety risks, and threaten diseases that may be transmitted to people. Providing more space for animals means they can at least move around and stretch out. Limbs and perform basic natural behaviors. This is a big step in the right direction in addressing the suffering faced by animals in the meat and egg industries."
Not everyone agrees that the new rules will make pigs’ lives better.
A report on the economic impact of Proposition 12 by Barry Goodwin, a professor of agricultural economics at North Carolina State University, stated that the new space requirements are not supported by animal science.
"In many transition scenarios, mixing animals together can cause stress, because animals will compete for dominance and feed. Animals may fight, which leads to increased morbidity and mortality. This in turn will have a negative impact on fertility and embryo survival. Rate has a negative impact," he wrote.
David Preisler, the chief executive of the Minnesota Pork Commission, agrees that the new rules may actually make the situation of pigs and those who work with them worse.
Preisler said sows are kept in breeding pens for about three weeks after breeding to increase the likelihood of pregnancy and reduce the risk of injury.
"According to the rules proposed here, we will not be able to use these stalls," he said. He also said that if tasks such as reproduction and vaccination are moved to more open spaces, people working with pigs are at greater risk of injury.
People who work and research in the pork industry say that the measure will have an economic impact on farmers and consumers.
Goodwin's analysis found that California is estimated to consume 15% of the pork produced in the United States, and that each industry group produces much less pork—an estimated 0.12%.
The National Pork Producers Council and the U.S. Agricultural Confederation are opposing Proposal No. 12 in court, saying that it is unconstitutional and "puts a burden on interstate trade that far exceeds any benefit."
So far, the court has ruled on the supporters of Proposition 12, including confirmation from the panel of judges for the Ninth Circuit this week.
With California occupying such a large share of the country’s pork market, the pork industry is under pressure to comply with Proposition 12. Pork producers have asked California to postpone the implementation of Proposition 12 so that they have time to comply. The National Pork Producers Council also asked the US Department of Agriculture to help bring the farm into compliance.
Randy Spronk said that part of his family's Spronk Brothers pig farm in Edgerton, Minnesota, is now equipped with equipment to comply with California's Proposition 12 rules.
Spronk said this was financially feasible because a fire destroyed part of the facility that was being rebuilt to comply with the rules. Compared with renovating old pig houses or reducing the number of sows in pens, the cost of building new pig houses is lower. Spronk said the area being rebuilt used to have 21 square feet of fence. Goodwin’s report stated that the industry average size of the enclosure is between 18 and 20 square feet. Splunk said that some farms keep sows in separate 14-square-foot enclosures, which does not meet Proposition 12.
The market has been volatile recently, but Spronk estimates that a good farmer may need to make between US$130 and US$140 to break even. He estimates that pigs will have to be sold for an additional US$8 to US$20 per head to cover the cost. Building, and additional heating and cooling required for large facilities.
Another complex issue in the pork industry is the supply chain: pigs go to processors to become meat, which is then shipped across the country. With the entry into force of Proposal No. 12, pork from pigs that meet California standards needs to be separated from pork that does not meet the standards and sent to the state.
Spronk said that if he did not have a processor committed to buying pigs at a price that he hopes would make it feasible, he would not continue to build new pig houses. He also hopes that retailers and consumers are willing to pay higher prices.
If the rule takes effect as expected on January 1, Goodwin’s report predicts that California’s pork product prices will rise because there will not be enough supply to meet California’s new requirements to meet demand.
"I think it's too early to say what it will eventually be," Pressler said, adding that he has seen estimates of 30% to 50% price increases.
Currently, Rabobank estimates that less than 4% of pork produced in the United States meets California's new standards.
Goodwin predicts that pork prices in other parts of the country may fall in the short term because non-compliant pork that would have been shipped to California will be sold elsewhere. In the long run, Goodwin’s report predicts that farmers’ transformation costs are high, which may have a wide-ranging impact on the pork industry.
If the three priorities for feeding food are ethics, environment, and economics, Spronk said he believes that California's regulations place too much emphasis on ethical issues and ignore environmental and economic issues because of the need to build, heat, and cool new, larger facilities.
"In my opinion, everyone is talking about sustainability [but] we are on the wrong path," he said under California's new regulations.
Greta Kaul is a data reporter for MinnPost. You can contact her at gkaul@minnpost.com.
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