Informative August 2026 What’s happening with California Prop 12, the Farm Bill and Save OurBacon Act?

Update July 8, 2026: Information about the Senate Farm Bill draft and outcome of the Triumph v

Cambell court case is now included.

WASHINGTON—As the United States Congress continues debate around the Farm Bill, a multi-year agricultural

legislative package, Humane World for Animals and Humane World Action Fund, formerly called Humane

Society of the United States and Humane Society Legislative Fund, offer the following background on farm

animal protection laws and why the Save Our Bacon Act is bad news. “The House

Farm Bill chose corporate interests over the will of voters, but three House Republicans broke ranks, and we will

build on that resistance in the Senate. For more than a decade, we have fought state by state to end the cruel

confinement of farm animals, and we successfully defended California's landmark Proposition 12 all the way to

the Supreme Court. We are not going to let Congress undo that progress," said Sara Amundson, president of

Humane World Action Fund.

Key facts about Prop 12 and other state farm animal welfare laws

 California’s Proposition 12, or Prop 12, is a state ballot initiative that was approved by 63% of voters in 2018.

It prohibits the in-state production and sale of food products from mother pigs, chickens used for eggs and

calves raised for veal if they are derived from animals locked in cruel and extreme confinement. Sales of

products from animals not derived from these cruel conditions are not impacted by Prop 12.

 Massachusetts’s Question 3, is a 2016 ballot measure that voters approved of by a 78% majority. It also

prohibits the in-state production and sale of food products from egg-laying hens, breeding pigs and calves

raised for veal in cruel confinement.

 Fifteen states have passed laws addressing the cruel confinement of pigs, chickens and/or calves in crates

and cages so small they can barely move. Voters of all political stripes want animals to be treated humanely,

and they support common sense laws that align food production with their values. 

 80% of American voters, including nearly equal numbers of Democrats, Independents and Republicans,

support enactment in their own states of a law like Prop 12 to protect farm animals and consumers.

 Federal courts have routinely upheld farm animal confinement and sales laws like Prop 12 and Question 3

against challenges from factory farming interests and their allies, and Humane World for Animals has

defended these laws at every turn, most often by leading a coalition of animal welfare groups as parties in

the litigation.

What’s happening in Congress now

 Even after the Supreme Court upheld Prop 12 in 2023, a section of the pork industry has redoubled its

efforts pushing Congress to gut it and other state laws like it.

 In 2025, the House and Senate introduced separate bills that would roll back not only Prop 12 and Question

3, but also hundreds of other state laws governing agricultural products, food safety, disease prevention and

public health.

 After months of speculation, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson’ introduced a

Farm Bill in February 2026 that was a cornucopia of handouts to Big Agriculture, including a provision to

nullify Prop 12 (Sec. 12006), mirroring the deceptively named “Save Our Bacon Act.”

 Bill package had many controversial poison pills attacking animals, communities and the environment, the

House passed it largely on party lines in April 2026.

 Attention now turns to the U.S. Senate, which introduced a draft in June that does not include language on

Prop 12 and other matters.

 Legislation to block Prop 12 and related laws remains highly controversial. It’s opposed by a diverse coalition

of more than 6,600 groups and individuals, including farmers, veterinarians, elected officials and national

organizations.

FYI [REPRINTED]

New survey reveals: 9 out of 10 Mexicans support strong penalties

against animal cruelty

MEXICO CITY—Humane World for Animals Mexico is pressing legislators to urgently pass a strong General

Animal Welfare Law— to ban animal cruelty and strengthen animal protection nationwide. Revisions to Mexico’s

constitution in 2024 required the government to create a new animal protection law within 180 days, a deadline

which has long since expired. Humane World for Animals Mexico is urging policy makers to bring forward the

legislation before the current legislative session concludes later this month. To demonstrate the

strong mandate for such a law, the organization commissioned a national in-home survey which shows that the

public overwhelmingly supports stronger animal protection: 91% support banning all forms of animal cruelty

and establishing severe penalties for offenders, while 8 out of 10 of those surveyed (79%) consider it very

important to legally recognize animals as sentient beings.

Antón Aguilar, executive director at Humane World for Animals Mexico, states: “A General Animal Welfare Law is

not only legally required under the constitution but is also an ethical imperative for a society that seeks to

respect life in all its forms. We respectfully urge legislators to pass a strong and progressive bill during this

session. The public supports a bill that acknowledges animals as sentient beings, includes strong penalties for

animal cruelty and takes animals into account in disaster preparedness and response planning. Let us not waste

this historic opportunity. A weak law would fall short of the aspirations of a constitutional reform that cost so

much to achieve. A strong law, on the other hand, can mark the beginning of a new era for animals in Mexico.”

In November 2024, Mexico approved a constitutional reform on animal welfare, recognizing animal welfare as a

fundamental principle within the Constitution. This reform enables Congress to legislate in support of animal

protection, mandates humane education in schools nationwide and ensures that animal protection will be

safeguarded against future legislative changes. Various draft proposals are under discussion, both in the Senate

and in the Chamber of Deputies. Yet, Humane World for Animals insists that many of these proposals need to be

enhanced through deliberations by the relevant congressional committees— before being subject to plenary

vote.

Humane World for Animals Mexico calls on the Chairs of the Environment Committees of the Senate, Sen. Maki

Ortiz, and the Chamber of Deputies, Congresswoman Gabriela Benavides, to include ambitious provisions in the

draft General Animal Welfare Bill and expedite the plenary vote on this important bill.

The numbers speak for themselves

The national survey commissioned by Humane World for Animals Mexico also reveals high support for other

animal protection issues and provides policy makers with a significant public mandate for an ambitious and far-

reaching bill.

 94% agree with compassionate measures such as spay/neuter programs and community engagement for

the ethical management of stray dog and cat populations.

 92% agree with banning the consumption of dog and cat meat for human food.

 86% believe animals should be included in disaster preparedness and response planning.

 75% believe animal testing should be restricted to last-resort situations where no alternative methods are

available.

Humane World for Animals has actively participated in multiple public forums held in the Senate and the

Chamber of Deputies, contributing scientific evidence and the voices of thousands of people committed to

animal protection to improve the content of the various General Animal Welfare draft bills. For over a decade,

the organization has worked in Mexico to reduce animal suffering and improve the lives of companion animals,

as well as animals on farms and in laboratories.  The organization has also played a key role in advancing and

achieving federal bans on dogfighting and cosmetics animal testing, the recognition of animals as sentient

beings in the Mexico City Constitution, and, more recently, the adoption of an animal protection bill in Oaxaca,

the last state lacking such legislation.