California pig welfare rule delays frustrate small farmers

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Hog farmers who already comply with a California animal welfare law approved by voters in 2018 stand to benefit when the regulations are implemented. But it’s unclear if that will ever happen. The law should have taken effect in January 2022, but the state has yet to fully write and approve the necessary regulations, and a state judge delayed enforcement because of that. Then the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a case brought by a national pork industry group that opposes the regulations. Given all the delays, some of the few farmers who upgraded their facilities to meet the rules wonder if they will ever see the surge in demand they expected when the measure passed.