Iowa voters push back against pork industry power
By Farm Action
The pork industry’s campaign to overturn California’s Proposition 12 is encountering resistance in Iowa, one of the country’s largest pork-producing states. A Mason-Dixon poll of 625 registered Iowa voters found nearly twice as many opposed the Save Our Bacon Act as supported it, with opposition leading in three of the state’s four congressional districts. A majority of independent voters also opposed the measure.
The bill would prevent states from enforcing certain animal-welfare standards on agricultural products sold within their borders, effectively overriding Proposition 12 and similar laws. More than 720 veterinary professionals have separately urged Congress to exclude the measure from the Farm Bill and other legislation, arguing that it would strip states of authority to protect animal health, welfare and public health.
The growing opposition makes it harder to portray the fight as merely California activists versus Midwestern farmers. It increasingly pits large pork industry interests against voters, veterinary professionals and others who support states’ ability to set standards for food sold within their borders.
Read more: https://farmaction.substack.com/p/cyclospora-outbreak-mounting-opposition
