UK’s pig exporters are keen to cash in on California’s Prop 12 law, which came into effect on January 1, 2024. This is even as hogs turn into pet animals, with the launch of exclusive pig cafés elsewhere in Japan.

These disparate developments come just before another controversial U.S. clause that allows speed production of pork ends this February.

Prop 12 and the UK

Concerning the Prop 12 law, it has emerged that only 4% of California’s pig production centers meet the stipulations. Since its passing as a law in 2023, the legislation prohibits statewide sale of pork from hogs bred in 24-feet square pens.

This is why the UK, which prides in good rearing habits of farm animals, is keen to exploit the chance. The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) cites that the UK rears 40% of its hogs outdoors.

Britain sees this as a prime chance to expend the surplus, especially since domestic pig prices have plummeted. In November 2023, the average hog weight peaked at 91.05 kilos, the highest since 2022, with the abundance driving prices down.

It was no surprise, then, that in November 2023, California allowed Prop 12 certification for UK pork into the U.S.

In January, 2024, the UK’s AHDB officials accompanied six pork exporters to the U.S. to conduct business with  buyers.

California is home to 40 million people and is a thriving economy with high purchasing power. Approximately 15% of pork consumption in the U.S. takes place in the Golden State.

Enter Pig Cafés in Japan

Further afield, pet pigs in Japan have become the newest sensation in town. They are exclusively available to children and adults in friendly, clean and good-smelling joints run by Tokyo’s Mipig Café.

At a cost of 2,200 yen ($14.97) for the initial half hour of a reservation, customers can toy around with the mini-sized pigs.

The adorable thing about the animals is that they stay small into adulthood, thus the nickname, “micro pig.”

They are extremely costly to buy, however, at 200,000 yen ($1,361), apiece.  Mipig has sold around 1300 of these, proving their popularity all around Japan.

To reach this golden prize, the micro pigs undergo etiquette training. They also have their own special food.

Thus, as Prop 12 attracts cross-Atlantic pork exporters, so does the Far-East welcome pigs as pets.