The business of livestock and the impact of a California law on Ohio pig farmers

Published October 12, 2022 at 9:29 AM EDT

A hog walks in a pasture on a farm near Elliott, Iowa. Hog farmers that 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, 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.

The U.S. Supreme Court this week heard a pork-industry challenge to a California law setting animal-welfare standards for meat sold within the state.

The main provision of the law effectively bans widely used gestation crates by requiring at least 24 square feet of space per pig.

The National Pork Producers Council argues that the law is an abuse of state power and will lead to higher prices for consumers.

Today on All Sides with Ann Fisher, we look at a look at the intersection of industry, ethics and farming.

Guests:

Marina Bolotnikova, a freelance journalist focusing on factory farming
John Gilbert, farmer in the Niman Ranch network of sustainable and humane family farms
Jeff Sebo, clinical associate professor of environmental studies and director of animal studies program at New York University
Cheryl Day, executive vice president of the Ohio Pork Council

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