304: "But Bacon Tho…" - The Save Our Bacon Act and What You Can Do

The 2026 House Farm Bill — a $1.4 trillion piece of legislation — contains a provision called the Save Our Bacon Act that would wipe out every state-level animal welfare standard for farm products in the United States, current and future. It passed the House 224–200 and is now heading to the Senate for debate in July. This episode explains what's at stake, who it affects, and exactly how to make your voice heard before it's too late.TAKE ACTION — US LISTENERSThe most important thing you can do right now is contact your senators directly. https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htmEnter your state and you'll get your senators' phone numbers, email contact forms, and office locations. A phone call takes two minutes. A message through their contact form takes five.What to say: "I am calling to ask Senator [Name] to oppose the Save Our Bacon Act — the preemption provision in the 2026 Farm Bill (H.R. 7567, Section 12006). Please protect state animal welfare standards."Capitol Switchboard (they'll connect you to your senator's office): (202) 224-3121Find and contact your senatorsYour contact matters most if you live in one of these statesThese states have senators on the Senate Agriculture Committee, which is where the bill is being shaped:Arkansas · Mississippi · Iowa · Kansas · Kentucky · Alabama · South Dakota · North Dakota · West Virginia · Nebraska · Minnesota · New Jersey · Illinois · California · Pennsylvania · Michigan · Colorado · New Mexico · Georgia · VermontPre-made action alerts (they do the work for you)These organizations have built easy contact tools — you can send a message to your senators in under five minutes: Humane World for Animals — Stop the Save Our Bacon Act https://humaneaction.org/protect-state-laws ASPCA — Oppose Attacks on Animal Protection Laws in the Farm Bill https://secure.aspca.org/action/fsfp-act Animal Legal Defense Fund https://aldf.org/project/oppose-the-farm-food-and-national-security-act-of-2026-house-farm-bill-federal/ BACKGROUND AND FURTHER READINGWhat is the Save Our Bacon Act?  https://www.humaneworld.org/en/news/whats-happening-california-prop-12-farm-bill-save-our-bacon-actWhy the Farm Bill is no place for this provision (Civil Eats op-ed, May 2026)  https://civileats.com/2026/05/28/the-farm-bill-is-no-place-for-big-porks-save-our-bacon-act/ASPCA on the federal attack on state animal welfare laws  https://www.aspca.org/news/federal-attack-farm-animals-and-states-rights-revivedSenate Agriculture Committee — signs of resistance  https://sentientmedia.org/senate-ag-committee-set-to-spare-this-animal-welfare-law/The 2026 House Farm Bill (H.R. 7567) — full text on Congress.gov  https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/7567 INTERNATIONAL LISTENERSUnited Kingdom The UK-US trade deal (2025) opened British markets to US beef produced under welfare standards that would be illegal in the UK — putting British farmers who invested in higher welfare practices at a competitive disadvantage. Compassion in World Farming — UK trade deal and animal welfare: https://www.ciwf.org.uk/our-campaigns/other-campaigns/trade-and-animal-welfare/European Union The EU's Farm to Fork strategy promised to phase out cage farming across member states. Those commitments have been dropped from the 2026 Commission Work Programme after years of delays. EU Animal Welfare Intergroup — warning on 2026 Work Programme: https://www.animalwelfareintergroup.eu/news/intergroup-warns-against-omission-animal-welfare-proposal-2026-work-programmeCanada Animal Justice published a national vision report in 2026 calling for stronger federal animal welfare standards. Animal Justice — National Framework for Farmed Animal Protection: https://www.animaljustice.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Vision-Report-2026.pdf