New Farm Bill would undermine states’ rights and substantial farmer investments in cage-free and crate-free systems
WASHINGTON (Feb. 13, 2026)—Humane World for Animals and Humane World Action Fund, formerly called Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society Legislative Fund, issued the following responses regarding the introduction of a new Farm Bill in the U.S. House of Representatives. As forecast, the so-called “skinny” bill released today by the House Agriculture Committee, includes language that seeks to nullify commonsense protections for farmed animals like pigs and chickens.
Sara Amundson, president of Humane World Action Fund:
“Once again, the House Agriculture Committee Republican majority is bending to the will of a backwards-facing segment of the pork industry by trying to force through a measure to override the preferences of voters in more than a dozen states, upend the decisions of courts all the way up to the Supreme Court, and trample states’ rights all at the same time. This approach failed in the last Congress and was excluded from the prior two Farm bills enacted. Why risk derailing the entire bill now by inserting a blatant federal power grab that’s bad for American farmers and previously been rejected by a majority of lawmakers on both sides of the aisle?”
Kitty Block, president and CEO of Humane World for Animals:
“The stakes here involve the welfare of animals, the integrity of our food system, the investments farmers have made in their transition to cage- and crate-free systems, and the public’s trust that government won’t undo the will of millions of American voters every time a powerful industry voices objection. Across the country, producers, retailers and food service companies have adapted to more humane standards because they’re better for animals and people, consumers demand them, and they create stable markets and future-focused opportunities for farmers. It’s folly for a few on the House Agriculture Committee to champion a measure that punishes farmers who have rejected the cruelties of intensive confinement systems while rewarding the National Pork Producers Council and other interests for their efforts to perpetuate and profit from those same cruelties.”
Background for media
Proposition 12, or Prop 12 as commonly referenced, is a 2018 California law that requires that pregnant pigs, egg-laying hens and calves raised for veal in that state be given at least enough space to stand up, turn around and extend their limbs, and access to a minimum amount of usable floor space. It also prohibits the sale in California of pork, eggs and veal from animals kept in extreme confinement, not meeting those basic standards.
In May 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the law, affirming California’s authority to set humane standards for products sold within its borders. Almost immediately after the ruling, agribusiness lobbyists and some members of Congress moved to nullify Prop 12 and circumvent the Supreme Court’s decision, introducing legislation aimed at blocking California’s law and jeopardizing similar animal welfare and public health laws in more than a dozen other states.
In the 118th Congress, some members of the House Agriculture Committee tried to eviscerate these state-level protections through legislation like the Ending Agriculture Trade Suppression (EATS) Act and Section 12007 of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act. In the current 119th Congress, the Food Security and Farm Protection Act (S. 1326) has identical bill language as the EATS Act. Additionally, language in the Save Our Bacon Act (H.R. 4673) is identical to Section 12007 of the 2024 House Farm Bill.
This legislation could also nullify thousands of other state laws not only relating to animal welfare and products, but also how states regulate the sales of products within their own borders and set standards for disease and quarantine control, toxic materials and more.
Media Contact: Liz Bartolomeo; ebartolomeo@humaneworld.org, 240-472-0475
