The initial rulings on the case is that producers will be required to have 24 square foot per sow in sow units, and animals cannot be confined for more than six hours at a time and not more than 24 hours in a 30 day period. This will require change in the way producers manage animals in the farm.

“You have three different options when they're going to convert a farm,” said Richards. “The biggest change is going to 24 square foot per sow. Traditionally, we have between 17 and 19 square foot per animal. You'll increase 25 to 35% of the space required. First option is that you don't add any facilities, which you're going to have to decrease your herd inventory by 25, 35%...each sow has to have more space, so you can't fit as many sows into the existing facilities. So you can add on the facility to maintain the inventory, but that depends on your estate and if you can build a additional barn or if you can permit additional barn, and then also if you have a space to be able to add a barn and everything. So that's one option.”

The first option is dependent on conditions of producers’ existing facilities and their ability to convert. When producers convert their farms to fit the legislation’s standards, if the farm is in a shallow pit with a partially sided barn and it has troughs already in place, it's difficult to move pens around. If the farm has a deep pit and slatted barn, producers have more options for reconfiguration of space.

Another option for producers is breeding gilts off site and then bringing them into the farrowing house. However, there are a lot of questions and concerns that producers have to work around. The standard protocol is to view the existing facility and look at all the options for the producer so they can figure out what option works best for them. The final rulings for Prop 12 aren’t out yet, so many producers are waiting to make decisions until then.

“The area that affects a producer the most is in the breeding area…Traditionally you breed in a stall,” said Richards. “Now we can't have a stall. We have created a free access stall that gives the sow the ability to go in and out freely, and then you can lock the stall down for less than six hours. This allows producers to breed her in the stall and then open it back up where she can go in and out.”

As a global company, Hog Slat began developing the stall 10 years ago for their German market and EU market. Hog Slat never predicted having the market for it in the U.S. Now, the company has been able to use it and bring it to the U.S. for Prop 12.

“Producers should reach out to their nearest Hog Slat rep,” said Richards. “We’ve done a tremendous number of these retrofits and laying them out. The best thing is that you know what your options are and what the costs are, and then you can apply that back to working with your packer.”