BOSTON – Next month, pork producers from around the country will be heard in front of a federal judge regarding the Massachusetts state law governing sow confinement requirements.

William Young, a senior judge of the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts, will hear a motion from a Triumph Foods lawsuit along with other plaintiffs on Sept. 6.

However, that hearing will occur after the Act to Prevent Cruelty to Farm Animals, also known as Question 3, goes into effect on Aug. 23.

Once the law goes into force, Question 3 would ban the sale of uncooked whole pork meat that does not meet the state’s sow housing requirements and would prohibit the transshipment of whole pork through the state. Some exceptions will be made over the next six months while the law is implemented. 

Triumph Foods filed its initial lawsuit challenging Question 3 on July 26. 

In its initial announcement in July, the pork processor referenced the May ruling by the Supreme Court regarding California’s Proposition 12.

The complaint stated that the ruling on Prop 12 against the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) was a narrow set of claims and did not affirm the measure’s constitutionality.

“Discriminatory trade restrictions like Q3 and Prop 12 affect the ability to build resilient, reliable food supply chains across the United States,” said Matt England, president and chief executive officer of Triumph Foods in July. “They also hurt many small businesses, employees, consumers and government-funded agencies. Free and fair interstate commerce is vital for the economic prosperity of our country.”