FRANKFORT, Ky (Jan. 30, 2025) – Attorney General Russell Coleman announced today he asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reject California's attempt to regulate the pork producers in every corner of the country. In a brief signed by 23 attorneys general, General Coleman objected to California's Proposition 12, which has disrupted the pork industry nationwide by imposing outrageous requirements on pig farmers and pork processors.
Many smaller operations have found it difficult to keep up with California's unilateral mandate and are in danger of closing for good. Those farmers and processors who are able to stay open would likely need to raise prices at a time families can least afford it.
Kentucky's pork industry supports nearly 9,000 jobs and adds almost $650 million to the economy, according to Kentucky Pork Producers.
According to the brief, California produces almost no pork and yet has assumed a role of regulating the entire nation's pork products.
"Kentucky agriculture is one of our greatest economic drivers; our farmers feed the Commonwealth and the world. We don't need Californian bureaucrats to tell our family-owned farms and related processors how to operate. I'm proud to stand up for the Kentucky pork producers against this West Coast hogwash," said Attorney General Coleman.
General Coleman signed the Iowa-led brief along with attorneys general from Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virgina, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
Read it here.
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