SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Voter-approved rules kicking in Jan. 1 have prompted concerns about possible shortages of bacon and other pork products, amid last-minute calls to delay the new regulations.
Even in progressive California, that’s the headline-grabber.
Proposition 12 – the Farm Animal Confinement Proposition – was passed by Californians with overwhelming support in 2018. Beginning on Jan. 1, 2022, Prop 12 increases the minimum confinement area allowed for “breeding pigs, egg-laying chickens and veal calves.” It also bans the sale of products from those farms that fail to meet those new confinement standards.
Specifically for pigs, that area is increased to 24 square feet, up from 20 square feet set in 2020. While veal and egg producers say they can meet those requirements, only about 4% of pork producers say they can comply with the rules, according to AP reporting.
It's among a host of other legislation designed to safeguard employees from warehouse retailers like Amazon, shield those seeking abortions, protect protesters from police, spare children from gender influence in store displays, and further ease criminal penalties to reduce mass incarceration.
Several new laws are the first of their kind in the nation. They are among hundreds of new laws also addressing everything from stealthily removing condoms to handing out disposable packages of condiments.
Read the full AP story here.
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