"More than 700 US veterinarians are asking Congress to leave out an industry-backed provision from the Farm Bill that would preempt states from having stricter animal welfare laws than other states.
The provision — often referred to as the “Save Our Bacon Act” — was included in the House draft Farm Bill released in May, but was omitted in the Senate draft released last month. The Farm Bill is a massive piece of legislation renewed roughly every five years that guides the federal government’s food and farm policy. The House provision that preempted those state laws has garnered broad support from meat industry associations that argue such state laws increase consumer costs and hurt farmers.
The measure specifically targets two state laws — California’s Proposition 12 and Massachusetts’ Question 3. Both require that hogs, calves and chickens that are on confined farms or sold in the states are raised with adequate room to turn around, lie down and extend their limbs."
