WASHINGTON, D.C., April 30, 2026 — America’s 60,000-plus pork producers of all sizes, from all states celebrated House passage of the 2026 Farm Bill.
On an impressive, bipartisan 224-200 vote, the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 included 100% of the National Pork Producers Council’s policy requests—including a very significant section that provides much-needed relief from the misguided California Proposition 12.
“Today’s House farm bill passage is a testament to the power of rural America when we stand up for our farms and future generations with a unified voice,” said Rob Brenneman, NPPC president and pork producer from Washington County, Iowa. “We wholeheartedly thank our champions—House Agriculture Committee Chairman GT Thompson, Rep. Ashley Hinson, and others—for not backing down from the fight for what is right for rural America. He and congressional supporters on both sides of the aisle heard our plea to help America’s pork producers. Now, we look to the Senate to follow suit and pass this farm bill for us and others in agriculture without delay.”
Without Prop. 12 relief in the final farm bill, pork producers face a patchwork of state animal housing laws that hurts small farmers the hardest, takes away veterinarians’ choices, increases the cost of food, and undermines states’ rights.
In addition to a Prop. 12 fix, the 2026 Farm Bill also accomplished all additional 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.
NPPC and the thousands of pork producers it represents again express their thanks to the House Agriculture Committee and the full House of Representatives for passing this critical piece of legislation.
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