The American Meat Producers Association (AMPA) launched a $30 million television campaign with a new PAC targeting some of the Midwest’s strongest supporters of overturning Proposition 12, aiming to stop the Save Our Bacon Act in the Senate.
The provisions of the Save Our Bacon Act were included in the House version of the farm bill, the Food Security and Farm Protection Act, despite an effort to remove it. The debate over the provision and its impact on states is now in the Senate.
The group argues the legislation would override state restrictions on interstate commerce, including California’s Proposition 12 and invalidate hundreds of other state laws that protect livestock from diseases and pests, including screwworm.
TV, radio and digital ads are targeting Midwest states and congressional districts in 2026, ahead of the Senate Agriculture Committee’s anticipated farm bill markup, the organization said, all the way up through the fall.
Ads have targeted the Midwest, directly mentioning Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA-02), Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN).
Holly Bice, president of the AMPA, told DTN that the group will continue making its case that the Save Our Bacon Act destroys American family farmers and overturns voter-approved state laws.
“That investment will increase to defeat political support for this issue once and for all,” she said.
Advertising campaigns appearing in Kansas, along with political pressure, were successful enough that Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS), who originally co-sponsored the Food Security and Farm Protection Act, withdrew his support for the legislation on June 12.
Rob Brenneman, an Iowa farmer and president of the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC), was in the room when Marshall made the decision.
“I was there when he exploded against the bill,” Brenneman said, noting Marshall later removed his name from the list of co-sponsors after the meeting. “He was concerned about getting beat up by the animal activists, and he was concerned about all of us in the industry working together to pull in the same direction. And I was trying to reiterate that’s what we were doing,” he said.
The ads focus on the theme, “Senators, whose side are you on, America or China?” arguing the Save Our Bacon Act undercuts American farmers while helping Chinese corporations, referring to Smithfield, that have made political donations to politicians.
Brenneman said it was disappointing to witness Marshall’s decision firsthand.
“It appears those pressure campaigns filled with falsehoods have succeeded where facts and sound policy have not,” he said.
Marshall responded after industry groups learned of his withdrawal. “With all of the challenges facing farm country right now, Senator Marshall is prioritizing year-round E15 and helping Chairman Boozman get a Farm Bill done,” said Payton Fuller, a spokesperson for Marshall.
Boozman has said similar state regulations will not be included in the committee’s version of the legislation. However, others have noted it could still be offered as an amendment on the Senate floor.
“We aren’t going to give up on Senator Boozman yet. We’ve had conversations. We just had a fly-in a week ago. We will do whatever it takes. When the time comes, we will have another fly-in and we will continue making sure everybody’s heard our voice,” Brenneman told DTN.
Pork on the defense
Brenneman argued Proposition 12, not China, poses the greatest threat to the next generation of U.S. pork producers, saying Congress must overturn the law because it imposes costly housing standards that industry groups say are not supported by veterinary science.
Prior to making the decision, Marshall’s office requested additional support, including TV advertising defending legislators and the district. According to a source familiar with the matter, NPPC was unwilling to commit funding for such a campaign.
They doubled down in a comment immediately after the withdrawal. “We do not have millions to spend on political advertising. What we do have is firsthand experience with the consequences of Prop. 12 and a clear understanding that one state should not set agricultural policy for the entire nation,” Brenneman said.
Marshall faces a newcomer with no political history in the Republican primary in August, but there are 10 Democratic candidates vying to face Marshall on the November ballot.
“You see all the money going into the campaign against him … He’s from a state that has a lot of livestock,” Brenneman said.
Claiming victory
AMPA, along with animal rights organizations, thanked Marshall after withdrawing his support for the bill, which they have dubbed the “SOB” Act.
“Senator Marshall deserves credit for listening to farmers and MAHA supporters throughout Kansas who recognize how SOB would decimate the state’s rural communities and present a massive gift to China’s pork industry,” Bice from AMPA said.
Key businesses fighting to keep Prop 12 include crate-free pork companies True Story Foods, Niman Ranch and direct-to-consumer brand ButcherBox.
In a post, The Humane League also wrote, “Your phone calls and emails flooded his office. Our movement’s power forced a staunch opponent to back down.”
Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy President Wayne Pacelle responded to the news by saying, “The good news is, the SOB Act appears to no longer have a pulse in the Senate.”
Backing up Marshall, he said in a statement to DTN, “He can see that the repeal of Prop. 12 is dead in the water. It’s a distraction to him and to the progress of the Farm Bill. I think he was moving in the direction of pulling away from the bill to repeal Prop. 12 long before the ads started running. I think the NPPC is the only group in town that cannot read the writing on the wall.” — Jake Zajkowski, DTN ag policy editor
