GOP Bill Could Condemn Pigs To Life Inside Crates So Small They Can’t Turn Around

A GOP-backed provision inside the 2026 farm bill, which passed the House Thursday morning, could undo state laws aimed at preventing pigs from being housed in spaces so small they can’t turn around.

The Save Our Bacon Act was introduced as a bill last year by Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa) and ultimately incorporated into the federal farm bill, a massive bill that lays out federal food and agriculture policy. The name “Save Our Bacon” refers to overriding state laws that ban the sale of meat from animals kept in extreme confinement, including pigs kept in small enclosures known as gestation or farrowing crates.

Farms that use these metal enclosures, typically 7 by 2 feet, say they do so to prevent injury to pregnant or nursing pigs and their offspring. Animal welfare advocates generally say the confinement causes pigs misery and extreme stress.

Both Massachusetts and California have passed laws banning the sale of pork from farms that use these crates, no matter what state it comes from. That means farmers across the country have an incentive to ditch the crates so their product can be sold in those states.

The SOB Act, which is supported by the National Pork Producers Council, would ban states from making laws regarding the sale of meat produced outside state lines. So while California could still mandate that all pork raised in California meets certain standards, it couldn’t make rules about pork produced in other states.

Proponents of the provision say it will protect farmers from having to make costly changes at the whim of other states. However, the provision has gotten backlash from Democrats, MAHA Republicans and animal welfare advocates across the political spectrum.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) tried to introduce a bipartisan amendment to remove the SOB Act from the farm bill on Tuesday. However, the House Rules Committee refused to allow a vote on the amendment, meaning the provision remained in the farm bill when the House passed it.

Additionally, though Hinson framed her legislation as direct opposition to California and Massachusetts laws about pigs, some critics also fear its broad language could undo hundreds of state-level agriculture laws.

Ultimately, the Make America Healthy Again contingent focused more of its energy on removing language from the farm bill that would have shielded pesticide makers from liability over their products’ health impacts.

The House version of the farm bill, which passed with the majority of Republicans supporting and a majority of Democrats opposing, is not final. The Senate will have to pass its own version, and then the two will have to be reconciled.