On behalf of American pork producers of all sizes, the National Pork Producers Council praised (March 4, 2026) House Agriculture Committee passage of Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson’s (R-PA) bipartisan Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026.
Commonly referred to as Farm Bill 2.0, the legislation boasts relief for pork producers facing an imminent patchwork of state animal housing laws spurred by California Proposition 12, a state law that puts small farmers on the chopping block, increases the risk of industry consolidation, and undermines states’ rights. Read more about the law’s detrimental effects and how Farm Bill 2.0 addresses the problem here.
“Pork producers of all shapes and sizes need this regulatory relief and are grateful for Chairman Thompson’s steady commitment to providing relief from state laws outside our borders,” said Duane Stateler, NPPC president and pork producer from McComb, Ohio. “Now, it is up to the full House of Representatives to finish the job: pass this farm bill and give agricultural producers across the country true freedom to farm.”
NPPC has long led the fight for relief from this looming, unsustainable 50-state patchwork of laws, most recently with a dozen national farm, agriculture, and transportation groups calling on Congress to fix this mess immediately. Click here to read a letter sent to House Agriculture Committee leadership.
Representing millions of agricultural producers and members, this coalition’s ask is simple: one state law should not be forced on agricultural producers across the country.
In addition to providing regulatory relief from Prop. 12, the Farm Bill 2.0 also acted on additional U.S. pork producer priorities, including:
- Funding and converting the Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program into a full program.
- Increasing funding for critical agricultural trade promotion programs, including the Market Access Program, Foreign Market Development Program, E. Kika de la Garza Emerging Markets Program, Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops, and Priority Trade Fund.
- Requiring USDA to report how changes to or expiration of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement will affect agriculture.
- Establishing the Agricultural Trade Enforcement Task Force to better identify and overcome trade barriers.
- Expanding the Animal Health Protection Act to include improving animal disease traceability.
- Allowing the establishment of additional training centers and programs under the Beagle Brigade Act.
- Requiring thorough documentation on USDA’s ability to protect producers from significant economic losses due to a foreign animal disease outbreak.
- Capping administrative expenses for the National Animal Disease Preparedness and Response Program and the National Animal Health Laboratory Network, allowing a higher percentage of funds to be used for research.
- Requiring USDA to conduct research and development on a policy to insure pork producers against financial losses from a catastrophic disease.
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