Iowa AG Leads 24 States Against Massachusetts Pork Ban at Supreme Court

AG: Iowa Newsroom

Filed March 24th, 2026

Detected March 24th, 2026

Summary

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird, leading a coalition of 24 states, has filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court challenging Massachusetts's "Question 3" pork ban. The ban restricts the sale of pork in Massachusetts if producers do not meet the state's specific hog-housing requirements, impacting producers nationwide.

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What changed

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird, joined by 24 other states, has filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court arguing that Massachusetts's "Question 3" pork ban is unconstitutional. The ban prohibits the sale of pork in Massachusetts if producers do not comply with the state's luxury hog-housing requirements, regardless of whether the pork meets all federal and state safety and quality standards in its state of origin. The coalition contends that this law unfairly targets out-of-state producers and violates the Constitution by allowing states to dictate agricultural practices in other states, potentially leading to crippling costs for farmers and increased prices for consumers.

This action represents a significant legal challenge to state-level regulations that impact interstate commerce. Regulated entities, particularly pork producers and those in related agricultural sectors, should be aware of this Supreme Court case and its potential implications for state-specific agricultural mandates. While this filing is a legal brief and not a direct compliance mandate, a favorable ruling for the states could set a precedent limiting the extraterritorial reach of state regulations on agricultural production. The brief was filed on March 24, 2026, and the Supreme Court will consider the arguments presented.

What to do next

Monitor U.S. Supreme Court proceedings regarding the Massachusetts pork ban.
Assess potential impacts of a ruling on interstate agricultural sales and state regulatory authority.

Source document (simplified)

Home | News Releases | Attorney General Brenna Bird Leads Fight for Pork Producers at the United States Supreme Court

March 24, 2026

Attorney General Brenna Bird Leads Fight for Pork Producers at the United States Supreme Court

DES MOINES—Attorney General Brenna Bird is leading 24 states in a brief asking the United States Supreme Court to rule that Massachusetts’s radical pork ban is unconstitutional.

Massachusetts’s “Question 3” pork ban prevents other states from selling pork in or transporting through Massachusetts if farmers do not comply with Massachusetts’s luxury hog-housing requirements. That means that even if Iowa-produced pork meets all Iowa and federal safety and quality standards, but not Massachusetts’s new restrictions, they cannot do business in that state.

Massachusetts’s pork ban will have effects far beyond Massachusetts’s borders. Pork producers and family farmers across the country will face crippling costs that may force many to close shop. Families already facing skyrocketing prices for pork will see those prices continue to rise. The pork ban also sets a dangerous precedent that would allow states to upend markets across the nation to push their radical political agendas.

“Massachusetts does not get to tell Iowans how to raise their pork,” said Attorney General Bird. “Iowa is the leading pork-producing state in the nation and is home to family farms that Iowans have passed down through families for generations. With this pork ban, Iowa farmers are left with two drastic options: pay the extreme costs to comply with red tape that could drive them out of business or be banned from selling their pork. Either option is a loss for Iowa’s hardworking family farmers and pork producers. Simply put, we want the Supreme Court to find that the Massachusetts pork ban is unconstitutional, because it is.”

The states make the case that the Massachusetts pork ban violates the Constitution because states cannot pass laws that target raising hogs in other states.

The Iowa-led coalition is joined by the attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

Read the full brief here.