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Leading Republicans in Iowa have banded together to support bacon.
What danger does bacon face? In 2018, 63% of California voters adopted Proposition 12, which mandates that pigs, calves, and chickens sold in the state be produced in areas that allow them to roam freely. The minimum living space required for a breeder pig is 24 square feet.
In Iowa, the majority of large hog confinement facilities don’t offer a lot of area. Therefore, additional acreage is needed if Iowa pork producers wish to sell pork in California.
Advocates from California now assert that they know what’s best for farmers who have been raising animals for many generations. In a statement last week, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds said the Save Our Bacon Act will enable Iowa farmers to keep doing what they do best—feeding our nation and the globe.
Federal statute known as the Save Our Bacon Act permits pig producers to sell to markets outside of Iowa without being subject to capricious regulations like the California law.
Rep. Ashley Hinson, a proponent of the bacon bill, stated that this law will prevent out-of-touch activists who have no farming experience from directing how Iowa farmers carry out their duties.
In a 5-4 decision in 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court declared Proposition 12 to be constitutional. Therefore, the only way to repeal California’s law and stop others is through federal legislation.
We are aware of the worries of pork growers. However, we’ve also become tired of the enormous effort made by agricultural interests to maintain the current quo.
Pork producers in Iowa do not want the Master Matrix scoring system, which is used to authorize confinement operations, to meaningfully include environmental effects. Despite the fact that a significant proportion of hog manure deposited on fields releases nitrate into rivers, they oppose tougher water quality laws. They do not want local officials to have a say in the location of operations.
It is not profitable enough to genuinely care for the environment.
We’re tired of this kind of governance as well.
Legislation removing local autonomy has been repeatedly enacted by Republicans in the Statehouse who dislike the decisions made by local officials. Californians have no right to enact state laws that apply their beliefs to the food they consume, according to a federal statute that Iowa Republican leaders and ag allies are now calling for.
Therefore, we disagree with the current agricultural system, which has resulted in unclean rivers, lakes, and streams. Furthermore, not all California voters are activists, therefore we are unwilling to criticize their choice.
There is more at stake than bacon. What would prevent Congress from overturning other state-level environmental or food safety laws if it were to overrule California in this case?
Finding a common ground to defuse the dispute would be fantastic for all parties involved in this matter. If not, Congress ought to show Californians that bacon is not worth protecting.
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