"Several newspapers across farming states have run strikingly similar opinion columns over the past month that take issue with a California law requiring farmers to provide hogs, calves and chickens with enough room to turn around, lie down and stretch.

The columns all say the law — Proposition 12 — hurts farmers, makes meat more expensive and that Congress can fix this through the Farm Bill, which it is currently debating. 

The columns, however, do not mention that the author works for an industry-linked public relations firm. 

The op-ed campaign is spearheaded by the Center for the Environment and Welfare, an organization formed in 2023 and led by public relations experts from the firm Berman and Company."

Brian Bienkowski reports for The New Lede June 10, 2026. [2]