Humane World Action Fund says the Senate Agriculture Committee draft rejects the Big Pork ‘sob story’ to instead focus on agricultural priorities

WASHINGTON (June 23, 2026)—Humane World Action Fund, formerly called Humane Society Legislative Fund, issued the following statement on the release of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry’s version of the 2026 Farm Bill. The Senate did not include a dangerous and controversial provision from the House-passed Farm Bill, the Save Our Bacon Act, which would roll back state agriculture standards like California’s Proposition 12 and Massachusetts’s Question 3.

Sara Amundson, president of Humane World Action Fund, said:

“Most members of the Senate see the Save Our Bacon Act as a sob story peddled by a few powerful pork producers, not a solution to the issues farmers and rural communities confront every day. We commend Senate agricultural leaders for choosing not to reopen a food fight around basic protections for animals and states’ rights. At a time when farmers face real pressures from multiple directions, the Senate Farm Bill wisely omits this poison pill proposal that has repeatedly failed in Congress, failed in the courts and failed to gain public support.

“Even so, this debate is far from over. A handful of powerful pork industry interests have spent years trying to undo voter-approved laws that encourage more humane farming practices, and they will continue looking for every possible legislative avenue to advance those priorities. We will remain vigilant throughout the Farm Bill process and final vote to make sure that Congress respects the will of voters, the investments that humane-minded producers have already made, and the fundamental rights of states to establish commonsense standards for products sold within their borders.”

Additional resources for media:

  • A timeline and explainer for Prop 12, Massachusetts Question 3 and the fight over state farm animal protection laws (HumaneAction.org)
  • Photos and videos of pigs in extreme confinement (media library)
  • Responses to claims made by those seeking to block Prop 12 (myths/facts)
  • List of farm animal protection laws across 15 states (pdf)

Download photos/video of farm animals

Media Contact: Liz Bartolomeo; ebartolomeo@humaneaction.org, 240-472-0475