The National Pork Producers Council is applauding several United States Senators for their efforts in introducing the Food Security and Farm Protection Act addressing the impacts of California’s Proposition 12. The bill would prevent States and local jurisdictions from interfering with the production and distribution of agricultural products in interstate commerce and is sponsored by US Senators Joni Ernst and Chuck Grassley from Iowa and Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas. In a press release, the National Pork Producers council says that this legislation, “averts a disastrous patchwork of contradictory state-by-state farm regulations that would hit hardest small and medium-sized pork producers.” The National Pork Producers Council says that without the certainty of this legislation the effects would include widespread, damaging consequences for both farmers and consumers, causing significant fees forced on producers for outside regulators to audit their farms due to the whims of consumers from outside their state’s borders, creates a risk of putting farmers out of business through significantly raising costs of production and increasing the price of pork products for consumers with as much as 41% on certain products. Senator Joni Ernst said, “Proposition 12 is dangerous and arbitrary overregulation that stands in direct opposition to the livelihoods of Iowa pork producers, increases costs for both farmers and consumers, and jeopardizes our nation’s food security. I’m proud to be leading the charge to strike down this harmful measure and will keep fighting to make sure the voices of the farmers and experts who know best – not liberal California activists – are heard.”