May 11, 2021

US pork council seeks for delay in implementing initiative controlling sales of pork

The United States' National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) has filed comments last week on two Massachusetts bills related to Question 3, a 2016 ballot initiative which prohibits the sale of pork produced using certain production methods.

In many ways, Question 3 is substantially similar to Proposition 12, a California ballot initiative which passed in 2018, NPPC said in Capital Update.

The Massachusetts initiative is set to begin on January 1, 2022, but first requires the commonwealth's attorney general to draft implementation rules — which have not been completed. In its comments on S. 36 and H. 864, NPPC said it supports language that would place the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) in charge of promulgating Question 3 regulations. At this time, the attorney general's office has exclusive jurisdiction.

"Clear guidance is critical in ensuring that the regulatory requirements being developed are feasible and will not disrupt the supply of pork to Massachusetts consumers and NPPC commends the Attorney General for seeking out MDAR authority to put forth regulations," NPPC wrote in the comments. "MDAR's understanding of modern livestock and pork production, an industry that resides almost entirely outside the borders of the commonwealth is critical. NPPC is hopeful that this collaboration will lead to a regulatory process that establishes substantive dialogue with the impacted stakeholders, not just farmers but throughout the entire supply chain, to develop final regulations."

Additionally, NPPC is pressing for Question 3's implementation date to be delayed by two years to January 1, 2024. 

"Meeting the requirements of Question 3 is difficult enough to do in normal conditions, requiring significant investments of labour and capital, as farmers must convert to a compliant system in order to meet Question 3's requirements," NPPC said.

"The time and cost of this challenge has been exacerbated over the last two years as the industry struggles to overcome the challenges - both to our workers and to the marketplaces for pigs and pork - caused by COVID-19."

- Farm Journal's PORK