Will new bacon law begin? California grocers seek delay

"This is not going to work," says spokesman for grocers association

ELLIOTT, Iowa (KYMA, KECY/AP) - A group of California restaurants and grocery stores has filed a lawsuit attempting to block a new farm law from being put into place.

The business owners claim bacon and other fresh pork products will be much more expensive or in short supply statewide when the new law takes effect on Saturday, January 1.

This law requires the spaces of breeding pigs, egg-laying chickens and veal calves to be wide/tall enough for the animal(s) to stand and turn around.

For swine, that means they can't be kept in narrow “gestation crates." According to the law, pigs must have 24 square feet of usable space.

Since voters approved Proposition 12 by a 2-to-1 ratio in November 2018, state officials have missed deadlines for releasing specific regulations covering the humane treatment of animals that provide meat for the California market.

And now, hog farmers argue the changes would be too expensive, clarifying that changes can't be implemented until the state approves final regulations for the new standards.

It's expected that eggs and veal producers should be able to meet the new law. But currently, most hog producers haven’t made the necessary changes, leading the coalition of business owners to seek more than a two-year delay.

North Carolina State University found that the new standard would cost about 15% more per animal for a farm with 1,000 breeding pigs.

“We’re saying this is not going to work,” said Nate Rose, a spokesman for the California Grocers Association. While groups are working to delay the measure, the state has eased the transition to the new system.

It recently allowed pork processed under the old rules and held in cold storage to be sold in California in 2022, which could prevent shortages for weeks or even months.