Animal Welfare Law Offers MN a Path toward More Humane Farming
Published by MinnPost
In Minnesota, hogs outnumber humans. With roughly 15 million pigs sold each year, Minnesota is the second largest pork producing state in the nation.
As of Jan. 1, new animal welfare legislation known as Proposition 12 took full effect in California, impacting thousands of Minnesota hog farmers. Approved by California voters in 2018 and upheld by the Supreme Court in 2023, Prop 12 establishes minimum space allowances for egg-laying hens, breeding pigs and calves raised for veal. The law also prohibits the sale of meat and eggs from producers that do not comply with these requirements.
As some Minnesota hog farmers adapt to Prop 12, we have an opportunity to reconsider conventional agricultural practices and raise the ethical standard for animal farming in our state.
