The North American Meat Institute recently asked the Supreme Court to review an earlier ruling in a challenge of California’s Proposition 12: The Farm Animal Confinement Initiative. The Meat Institute petition specifically asks the Supreme Court to review a U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruling in a challenge by the organization.
The Meat Institute opposes the law, claiming it is unconstitutional and will hurt the nation’s food value chain by significantly increasing costs for producers and consumers. Meat Institute President and CEO Julie Anna Potts states, “If this unconstitutional law is allowed to stand, California will dictate farming practices across the nation.” The question presented in the case is whether the U.S. Constitution permits California to extend its police power beyond its territorial borders by banning pork and veal products sold into California unless out-of-state farmers restructure their facilities to meet animal-confinement standards dictated by California.
