California Department of Food and Agriculture

Animal Care Program – Proposition 12 (2018) Implementation 

June 21, 2023 Announcement Related to Whole Pork Meat 

The Sacramento Superior Court has issued a modification of its November 28, 2022 Order in California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce v. Ross (Case No. 34-2021-80003765) concerning enforcement of Proposition 12 with respect to whole pork meat. The Court’s new order provides that the previously issued injunction against enforcement expires as scheduled on July 1, 2023, except with respect to certain noncompliant whole pork meat that is already in the stream of commerce (as detailed in the Court’s order), which may be sold through December 31, 2023. 

Specifically, the Court’s new order states:
 

The declaratory and injunctive relief imposed by the Court in its February 2, 2022 Judgment and Prohibitory Writ of Mandate, as modified by the Court’s November 28, 2022 Order, will expire on July 1, 2023, except with respect to noncompliant whole pork meat that:

a.    as of July 1, 2023, is in the possession of an “end-user” (Cal. Code Regs., tit. 3, § 1322, subd. (o)) or a “pork distributor” (id., subd. (t)) or on the premises of an establishment at which mandatory inspection is provided under the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. Sec. 601 et seq.) and that holds an establishment number (prefix “M”) granted by the Food Safety Inspection Service of the United States Department of Agriculture (“federally-inspected entity”); 

b.    is self-certified by the end-user, pork distributor, or other federally-inspected entity to have been in their possession or was in the possession of another end-user, pork distributor, or other federally-inspected entity as of July 1, 2023; and

c.    is ultimately sold, transferred, exported, or donated on or before December 31, 2023.

The Court’s Order will be able to be viewed on the Animal Care Program’s website at CDFA – AHFSS – Animal Care Program shortly.  

Link to Animal Confinement regulations

Link to Key Terms guidance document 

Questions: [email protected]