Animal Care Program

Proposition 12, Farm Animal Confinement

Distributor Registration Required by January 1, 2023.

• Applications will continue to be accepted into 2023.
• Click on Guidance Documents for instructions.
• Click on Forms and Applications.
• New! May 2023 FAQ’s in the Wake of the 2023 Supreme Court Decision

WEBINAR ANNOUNCEMENT

Prop 12 Implementation Webinar Series: Three webinars presented by California Department of Food and Agriculture's Animal Care Program reviewing Prop 12 Animal Confinement regulations and requirements for end-users, distributors, and pork producers.

Webinars will be recorded and available for viewing after the event.

Please send your questions ahead of the webinar to: AnimalCare@cdfa.ca.gov

Click on the link to register for the webinar(s) you would like to attend.

• Tuesday, June 6th at 11 am Pacific (This Event Has Passed) - View Recorded Webinar
  
• Tuesday, June 13th at 11 am Pacific
  Webinar for “Distributors” – selling or distributing covered products to an end-user in California.
• Tuesday, June 27th at 11 am Pacific
  Webinar for “Pork Producers” – keeping or housing breeding pigs

What is the Animal Care Program?

Animal Care is a new program within the Animal Health and Food Safety Services division of the California Department of Food and Agriculture. Animal Care was formed after the passing of Proposition 12 (2018) to implement the law and its first task has been joint promulgation of regulations with Department of Public Health in addition to outreach and education of stakeholders.

Mission Statement:

To serve animal agriculture producers and California consumers by promoting and protecting the welfare and care of animals in agriculture in order for Californians to have access to food that is sourced from humanely and sustainably raised animals.

Background:

On November 6, 2018, California voters approved Proposition 12, the Farm Animal Confinement Initiative, which amended requirements in Chapter 13.8, sections 25990 through 25994, of the Health and Safety Code (HSC), Proposition 2 (2008). This law requires that covered animals be housed in confinement systems that comply with specific minimum standards for freedom of movement, cage-free design, and minimum floor space, and identifies covered animals to include veal calves, breeding pigs and egg-laying hens, as specified.

The law prohibits a farm owner or operator from knowingly causing any covered animal to be confined in a cruel manner, as specified, and prohibits a business owner or operator from knowingly engaging in the sale within the state of shell eggs, liquid eggs, whole pork meat or whole veal meat, as defined, from covered animals confined in a cruel manner. The complete text of the law (HSC sections 25990–25994), including confinement requirements, definitions, compliance dates, exemptions and penalties is available here: HSC 25990-25994.

Animal Confinement Regulations Finalized, effective September 1, 2022

• Full Text of Animal Confinement 3 CCR § 1320-1326
• Form 400 filing by Office of Administration of Law
• Animal Confinement Final Statement of Reasons
• California Environmental Quality Act Notice of Exemption

Recent Court Rulings

• New! May 11, 2023 National Pork Producers Council, et al. v. Ross, Secretary of The California Department of Food and Agriculture, et al. Supreme Court of The United States decision
• November 28, 2022 California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce, et al. v. Ross, et al. Joint Stipulation of All Parties Requesting Modification of February 2, 2022 Judgement
• March 29, 2022 final judgement in Iowa Pork Producers Association v. Rob Bonta et al. *Appeal Pending
• February 2, 2022 final judgment in the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce, et al. v. Ross, et al. case regarding enforcement of Proposition 12
• California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce, et al. v. Ross, et al. Prohibitory writ of mandate *Appeal Pending