Pennsylvania Farm Bureau Backs Save Our Bacon Act

By Blake Jackson

Pennsylvania Farm Bureau President Chris Hoffman expressed support for the recently introduced Save Our Bacon Act, led by Iowa Congresswoman Ashley Hinson.

The legislation aims to counteract restrictive regulations stemming from California’s Proposition 12 and Massachusetts’s Question 3, which impose animal confinement standards on out-of-state pork producers.

“On behalf of Pennsylvania’s growing pork industry and our over 25,000 members, we would like to extend our sincere gratitude to U.S. Representative Ashley Hinson (R-IA) for introducing the Save Our Bacon Act,” said Hoffman.

Proposition 12 and Question 3 have sparked industry-wide concern, particularly among smaller pork producers. Hoffman, who personally farms under Question 3 requirements, described the damaging impact these ballot measures have had on family farms.

“As a Question 3 pork producer who has seen more of the downfalls than the positives of these ballot measures, I can attest that Proposition 12 and Question 3 have wreaked havoc on our industry. We are already seeing too much consolidation on our family farms. Ballot initiatives like Proposition 12 are only going to put more family farms out of business, force consumers to purchase a more expensive product that has the same nutritional value as non-Prop 12 products and further increase mortality rates in our sows,” Hoffman stated.

Hoffman said, “The Save Our Bacon Act will be vital to restoring animal welfare and making pork affordable again, while putting the experts of animal husbandry back in control. We look forward to the Save Our Bacon Act seeing movement as soon as possible and thank Representative Hinson again for introducing this crucial piece of legislation.”

The legislation mirrors Section 12007 of last year’s Farm, Food, and National Security Act (H.R. 8467), asserting that USDA or FDA-approved products should be marketable nationwide.

Photo Credit: pa-farm-bureau