Addressing the Poison Pill in the Farm Bill
Note: This living post on advocacy to stop the Save Our Bacon Act in the Farm Bill will be updated frequently with ways to take action.
When California passed Prop 12, a ballot referendum to require meat sold in the state comes from animals raised with enough space to turn around (for pigs and veal calves) or spread their wings (for hens who lay eggs), nobody opposed it more than Big Pork. The industry, which commonly keeps pigs in tiny cages about the size of a coffin called “gestation crates”, sued the Golden State as soon as voters approved the ballot initiative. The case went all the way to the Supreme Court, where the justices ruled in favor of California. Big Pork then turned their attention to Congress, lobbying for a sweeping new law to overturn state and local laws like Prop 12, which would apply to the many states that have prohibitions on extreme confinement like Massachusetts and Michigan. For years Congress has proposed bills at the behest of the pork industry, but they have always been defeated.
Until now.
Legislators were able to slide a version of the notorious Save Our Bacon Act into the Farm Bill that was passed out of the House of Representatives (see full text below). Now it is up to the Senate to stop this legislation.
The bill would be one of the most devastating laws for animal welfare in this country’s history. A Harvard analysis found this would affect hundreds of state/local laws pertaining to environmental protection, food safety, and more. Moreover, many pork farmers oppose the Big Pork initiative. The farmers who have already invested in more humane designs—known as “group housing”—know they will be undercut if laws revert back to the gestation crate norm.
Take Action to Stop This
1) People vs. Big Pork: Advocates Town Hall
National town-hall hosted by Compassion in World Farming as part of a broader coalition effort to stop the Save Our Bacon Act from being included in the Farm Bill. 4:30 PM PT | 7:30 PM ET
2) Attend an in-person lobby day in DC
Advocates are headed to Capitol Hill on Monday to lobby for a clean Farm Bill with no Save Our Bacon Act included. It's not too late to sign up! 9AM at the Capital
3) Webinar: Write Letters to the Editor
Directly after the Town Hall, join a writing-party with fellow advocates where you will be coached on how to get your issue published in news media so that politicians take note. 5:30 PT/8:30 ET
Contact us with the message “Farm Bill” to join the amazing community of advocates who are working to stop this!
