What Is Prop 12 — And Why Should You Care?

California's landmark animal welfare law, explained in plain English.

In 2018, California voters passed Proposition 12 — the strongest farm animal welfare law in the country. It set minimum space requirements for pigs, egg-laying hens, and veal calves, and it went a step further than any previous legislation: it banned the sale of products from animals that don't meet those standards in California, regardless of where they were raised.

In simple terms, if you're selling pork in California, the pigs have to be raised with enough space to move freely. No more gestation crates. No more pigs confined to spaces so small they can't turn around. This applies to every pork product sold in the state — from the grocery store to the restaurant to the farmers market.

Why It Matters

For decades, the vast majority of pork in America has come from industrial operations where breeding sows spend most of their lives in gestation crates — metal enclosures roughly two feet wide. The animals can't turn around, can't lie down comfortably, and can't engage in any natural behavior. It's efficient for the producer. It's miserable for the animal. And it produces meat from stressed, unhealthy pigs.

Prop 12 said: not in California. The law requires that breeding pigs be given a minimum of 24 square feet of usable floor space per animal. It's not a pasture — but it's a meaningful step toward treating animals with basic dignity.

Where Santa Barbara Meat Co. Stands

We were Prop 12 compliant before Prop 12 existed. Our heritage Berkshire pork has always been raised outdoors — not because a law required it, but because it's the right way to raise a pig. Our animals have room to root, to roam, to behave like pigs. They're never confined to crates. They're never given hormones or antibiotics. They're finished on barley and spent brewers grain and raised with care from a family that's been doing this for five generations.

Prop 12 set a floor. We set a much higher standard. And we think you can taste the difference.

What to Look For

If you're buying pork in California, it should be Prop 12 compliant — that's the law. But compliance is a minimum, not a gold standard. When you're choosing where your family's pork comes from, ask the harder questions: Where were the pigs raised? What did they eat? Were they outdoors? Can you visit the farm?

If the answers are vague, that tells you something. If the answers are specific and backed by an invitation to come see for yourself, that tells you everything.

We're always happy to answer those questions. And the farm is always open.