Cedar Rapids, IA — As radical animal rights activists and special interest groups ramp up their attacks — including a $30-million ad buy that targets Iowa, Kansas, and Arkansas — on agriculture and against the Save Our Bacon Act, Iowa farmers and agricultural organizations are calling out their efforts to lie to the public. Supporting Prop 12 is a non-starter for Iowa agriculture and farmers who feed and fuel the world.
“We’ve raised hogs for over 150 years on our farm, and 90% of Iowa’s farms are family-owned like mine. We are grateful to Congresswoman Hinson and the rest of Iowa’s delegation who are standing up to protect our freedom to raise healthy animals and feed American families,” said Dean Frazer, Iowa Pig Farmer and President of the Iowa Pork Producers Association.
“The ultimate goal of animal activists that support Prop 12 is the elimination of meat in human diets. They are methodically working to set up a patchwork of rules that vary state by state to make farming more difficult. The truth is that rules like Prop 12 increase costs for the consumer and will drive consolidation within the industry and force family farms out of business,” said Trish Cook, Iowa Pig Farmer.
“The Save Our Bacon Act is a critical piece of legislation that helps support and protect Iowa’s hog farmers from a patchwork of out of state regulatory burdens, as well as protect consumers from fewer choices and higher costs at the grocery store. Preserving interstate commerce is critical to the future of Iowa agriculture, and we thank the members of the Iowa delegation for supporting this vital bill,” said Iowa Farm Bureau.
“America’s pork producers are grateful to Representative Hinson and Senators Ernst and Grassley for continuing to listen to farmers at a time when outside activist groups are spending millions of dollars trying to rewrite the facts about Proposition 12. The reality is that Prop 12 is still driving up costs, still creating uncertainty for family farmers, and still allowing one state to impose its policies well beyond its borders. No amount of advertising changes those facts. Pork producers have been asking Congress for years to address the interstate commerce problems created by Prop 12 – and the patchwork of conflicting, unworkable state laws it invites. We appreciate leaders like Representative Hinson and Senators Ernst and Grassley having the fortitude to continue standing firmly with the tens of thousands of farmers who put pork on our plates by pushing for a commonsense solution to this ill-advised California law,” said the National Pork Producers Council.
Background:
Mandates like California’s Proposition 12 drive up costs for Iowa pork producers and consumers. Compliance with Prop 12 would cost family farmers up to $4,000 per sow, placing an enormous financial burden on family-owned operations, and ultimately driving up grocery prices for Iowa families. After Prop 12 went into effect in California, the price of pork increased by 20%. A 2025 analysis from the US Department of Agriculture found that Prop 12 compliance costs would “disproportionately affect small- and mid-sized producers, who face tighter margins and less access to capital.”
Hinson’s Save Our Bacon Act will protect interstate commerce for Iowa livestock producers, blocking mandates on Iowa farmers while ensuring states can regulate their own producers as they see fit. This language is supported by over 400 grassroots agriculture organizations and veterinarians.
Recent misinformation campaigns have falsely claimed the legislation would benefit foreign-owned corporations or harm American producers. The reality is exactly the opposite. Family farmers are the most vulnerable to Proposition 12’s costly mandates because of the high capital investment required to renovate facilities to Proposition 12 compliance standards.
These attack campaigns have been led by groups like the American Meat Producers Association, a 501(c)(4) organization founded in late 2025 by animal rights activists specifically to defend Proposition 12 and similar state laws. The group is funded by meat companies that have already spent millions transitioning to Prop 12-compliant facilities, giving them a direct financial stake in preserving and expanding those mandates across state lines and limiting the ability of competitors to operate under conventional production standards. The organization’s President, Holly Bice, previously worked for animal rights groups like the Humane Society Legislative Fund and Animal Wellness Action. More on that here – worth the read.
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