CA Law Could Disrupt Entire Meat Industry

The Supreme Court will have to straighten this one out.

[mesflyer]

Interested to see how the state's rights Justices will decide. I don't see a problem with the basic concept. I purchase lots of things that are labeled "not for sale in California."

[protocol]

You can't jail the pork producer if they aren't operating in California but you can jail whoever is selling their pork inside California. Whether the law is good or not, it's the normal effect of both import and internal sales regulations. The framing on this for the case seems extreme. California is regulating its own internal market. That causes their importers to stop importing, maybe, but it isn't actually an import regulation. To say otherwise would mean no state could restrict sales on anything at all; they'd have to beg the federal government to do it. Is a dry county violating the constitution by indirectly interfering with alcohol imports?

[scotcoon]

"Not for sale in California" could solve so much regulatory costs for companies not based in California.

[zacharyhenderson]

I guess the real question is, "Does this law attempt to regulate interstate travel, which it does not have the right to do, or is its aim merely to regulate the quality of products sold within its own borders, which it does have the right to do?" Or, "Does the threat of imprisonment for producers outside of the state equate to an attempt to regulate interstate commerce?"

[marclabelle]

As a CA resident I simply assumed we're not going to have pork anymore, I know if I was a producer in another state I would likely not bother selling to CA anymore (and yes I know that would suck for my bottom line as well). If I happened to be a compliant producer I'd sell to CA at whatever price I could make up.

[northdetroit]

All too often, corporations ruin everything they are involved with. Factory farms are unconscionable. Hell, many of the factories I worked in were inhumane.

[michaelsommers]

The problem with the commerce clause is that it can be and has been abused to give the federal government powers it is not supposed to have under the Constitution. During the Depression, the feds regulated what you could grow in your backyard for your own consumption. Doing that was declared to be engaging in interstate commerce, because if you didn't grow your own stuff, you would buy it in a store, and it might have come from out of state.

[annetunstall]

Here in the UK most of our pigs ( Suffolk & Norfolk) are raised in the open they get mud and sand baths, dig in the dirt or sun bathe, sleep in straw or in their sheds, even piglets are kept this way with their mothers. A much nicer way to produce pork than farrowing pens and dark barn styes.

[bernishollaway]

This seems like a solution looking for problem to me and I feel that way because this isn't the only circumstance or regulation that is problematic for businesses. Many gun dealers no longer ship or sell firearms to Californians, I believe any truck over 10 years old has to be sold out of state, farm tractors that don't meet Californias emissions standards are shipped out of state after they are disabled and so on and so on. If the folks in sunny California want to pay double or triple for bacon, gas, electricity. water etc., I'm all for letting them pay whatever they want for products. My guess is if you want a California compliant product it's understood it will cost more, a lot more.

[tomchrisfield]

This a problem for California, which is why they import 98.87% of pork products from other states. I believe that Smithfield pork products is wholly owned by a Chinese company, how does that figure into all this ?

[primoroy]

Makes me wonder about laws that make it a crime to travel to another state to do something LEGAL in that other state, but not legal in your home state! 🤔 😳

[CoreyGemme]

Also important to realize that California getting a majority of its meat from out of state is not the same thing as a majority of out-of-state meat goes to California. That is not logically the same thing.

[stanley]

I can’t believe what I’m seeing. People would prefer animals lock in a cage without the ability to lay down. Do people listen to themselves? California is not asking for cage free but big enough cage so animal don’t stand there 24 hours a day. People should instead fight for better treatment of animals keeping the same standards as rest of the world.

[ClaimingKarma]

I think the state should have the right to set the requirements for meat sold in their state but for enforcement they have no right to jail a farmer out of their state

[brianvalenti]

If CA can pass laws that incarcerate people in other states, then those people deserve the right to vote on CA laws and elections.

[bmattison]

A neighbor of mine is a chicken producer for Tyson. I quit eating chicken when I saw how the chickens were treated.

[gerrypower]

This already happens with light bulbs as well; unless the bulb meets certain efficiency standards it cannot be sold in California. So Steve are you saying that California has no right to set standards for goods sold in the state?

[goaway]

Hopefully the non compliant pork producers will just stop selling to CA which could drop the pork prices a bit for the rest of the country (at least for awhile) via more supply being available outside the CA market. I've been casually watching this one since it was passed and wondered when someone would get around to getting it to SCOTUS.

[harveywallbanger]

Simple fix for sellers:
Price your California sales to cover the cost of complying with their laws.

[stevengotts]

Can we start calling them corporations, not farmers? Family farms died long ago. Good Topic Steve