“We are disappointed our petition for cert was denied. We will be considering other options to protect consumers and producers from Proposition 12, which will cost both millions of dollars, according to economists and the state of California’s own analysis,” North American Meat Institute Spokesperson Sarah Little said in a statement.
Proposition 12, set to begin implementation on Jan. 1, 2022, imposes what opponents claim is arbitrary animal housing standards that reach far outside of California’s borders to farms across the country, and bans the sale of pork that does not meet those standards.
Prop 12 is also the subject of separate litigation from the National Pork Producers Council and the American Farm Bureau Federation. The Ninth Circuit heard oral arguments on that case in April and has not yet rendered a decision.