This law, enacted in 2018 by voter initiative with nearly two-thirds support, bans the extreme confinement of pregnant pigs, hens used for eggs, and calves used for veal production. It also prohibits products made using these cruel practices from being sold in the state of California. 

Prop 12 has faced years of opposition from factory farming interest groups, but the will of the people has been upheld. Farm Sanctuary is proud to have been part of years-long coalition efforts to protect this crucial legislation. 

In 2023, the Supreme Court upheld Prop 12 after hearing a challenge by the National Pork Producers Council. Farm Sanctuary intervened in the case as part of a coalition of nonprofit organizations, led by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), urging SCOTUS to uphold the law.

This effort is part of Farm Sanctuary’s broader advocacy work to strengthen legal protections for farm animals and bring about transformational food system change. We have worked for decades to give farm animals a voice in the legal system, including co-leading a successful 2002 ballot initiative, Amendment 10, that made Florida the first state to ban the confinement of pigs to gestation crates.

Learn more about Farm Sanctuary’s ongoing advocacy efforts and how you can support this vital work to build a food system that doesn’t run on cruelty.