Hawkeye Reporter

The owner of Becker Lane Organic Farm told a Cedar Rapids news outlet that California's Proposition 12, which requires certain products sold in the state meet confinement requirements, doesn't really concern his operation.

The Becker farm already complies with those regulations but larger Iowa farms might struggle with the west coast state's requirements as, nationally, only about 4% of hog operations are in compliance, Jude Becker said in a KCRG9 news story published Aug. 2.

Becker Lane Organic Farms Owner Jude Becker in a June 2018 photo | facebook.com/Becker-Lane-Organic-Farm-130752255316/

His farms sells mostly to customers who buy into the philosophy that animals can be humanely treated and still produce a profit, and that Proposition 12, also called the "Prevention of Cruelty to Farm Animals Act," is a step in the right direction, Becker said.

"We've spent a large portion of the last 150 years trying to expand the definition of freedom and that means everybody is free," Becker said. "And freedom, I would argue doesn't just apply to people. A curious, intelligent creature on a farm like a pig. Maybe a pig on a farm should have a little more freedom too."

Becker's compliance with Proposition 12 requirements is rare in Iowa, where most farmers are not in compliance.

Kronlage Farms, a corn, soybean and pork producing farm a short drive from Becker's operation, is not in compliance with Proposition 12. Kronlage Farms owner Dave Kronlage told KCRG9 that Proposition 12 will have a much greater impact than consumers realize presently realize.

The proposition also doesn't give farmers credit for responsibly doing their jobs, Kronlage said.

"We all try to do what’s best for our animals, and our animals do better if they’re being well cared for," Kronlage said. "And so, we care for our animals just as good as we can because, basically, it’s a financial situation. If we don’t do what’s right for our animals, we aren't going to make money."

Iowa leads the nation in pork production and pork exports, according to the Iowa Pork Producers Association. Almost a third of the nation's hogs are raised in Iowa, home to more than 5,400 pig farms. Pig farmers operate in every Iowa county with the top five being Washington, Sioux, Lyon, Hamilton and Plymouth. About 24 million pigs are being raise in Iowa at any given time.

Proposition 12 mandates, among other things, that all pork products sold in California come from pigs not confined in a cruel manner, which the proposition defines as pens "with less than 24 square feet of usable floorspace per pig." The proposition also lays down similar requirements for sows and their piglets.

The proposition also spells out minimum space requirements for egg-laying hens and beef calves raised for veal, in addition to banning California businesses from selling eggs, pork and veal raised in ways that don't meet the proposition's requirements.

Proposition 12 overwhelmingly passed in 2018's general election in California, getting almost 63% of the vote, and is supposed to go into effect in January, which some say could trigger the 'Great Bacon Crisis of 2022' but that may not happen, ABC 10 reported. California is lagging behind its own deadline to get rules into place before January and the proposition also has attracted opponents nationwide. There also the legal challenge by the American Farm Bureau Federation and the National Pork Producers Council in U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Proposition 12 has its critics even in California. Proposition 12 is "unfair to pork producers nationwide" and was "flawed from the start," according to a letter to the editor of the LA Times, published Aug. 12.

"Its premise was that conventional hog farming practices are cruel," Jen Sorensen, president of the National Pork Producers Council and author of the letter, wrote. "They are not. They are informed by veterinarians based on animal behavior and what’s needed to protect pigs and keep food safe."

Laws like Proposition 12 that "impact producers" in other states sets "a dangerous precedent," Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig told The Center Square during a telephone interview.

"It's going to make it more difficult and more costly to produce foods in other parts of the country, and there’s a fairness issue there," Naig said in The Center Square's Aug. 14 news story.

Restrictions forced on pork producers effectively forces the same restrictions on everyone and "oftentimes it’s those who can least afford it," such as those just trying to buy groceries, who suffer most, Naig said.

"That’s wrong, and I think it's absolutely fitting that we should try to address this at the national level to try to get some sanity here," he said.