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Opinion | ‘Save Our Bacon Act’ would hurt Michigan’s farmers, rural communities
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For more than four decades, my family has built our 72-acre farm around principles of sustainability, transparency and responsible animal husbandry.
Over years of direct-to-consumer sales, we consistently heard from customers (regardless of their dietary choices) that animal welfare mattered to them. Many asked detailed questions about how our animals were raised, valued the quality that resulted from good care, and sought assurance that animal products were produced humanely.
Since 1984, we have raised dairy cattle, beef cattle, laying hens, and chickens in a manner that prioritizes animal welfare and environmental stewardship. We believe these values are not only essential to the future of American agriculture but are increasingly demanded by consumers.
That is why I strongly oppose the Save Our Bacon Act and urge Senator Elissa Slotkin to oppose any inclusion of it in the Farm Bill. The Save Our Bacon Act is being pushed by special interests and would override state agricultural standards, including what can be sold in a state’s marketplace, and override decisions that citizens made at the ballot box.
The act, while excluded from the Senate Agriculture Committee’s recently released draft of the Farm Bill, could still be revived through amendments.
Farmers like me have invested significant time, money and effort to meet evolving consumer expectations and comply with higher standards. We did so willingly because we believe treating animals more humanely and operating transparently is the right thing to do. Reversing those standards via the Save Our Bacon Act would be economically damaging to Michigan’s farmers and our state’s rural communities. It would penalize farmers who made investments in better practices while rewarding those who chose not to adapt. It would also weaken consumer confidence in the food system.
Along with hurting farmers, the Save Our Bacon Act represents a direct challenge to state independence. Michigan has been a leader when it comes to adopting standards for farm animal welfare. But the Save Our Bacon Act would prevent states from establishing and enforcing certain agricultural guidelines that our residents support.
The target of the Save Our Bacon Act is California’s Proposition 12 (a ballot measure that sets commonsense standards on certain products sold in the state’s marketplace). Yet the Save Our Bacon Act is so sweeping, according to a report by Harvard Law School, it would put roughly 600 laws at risk, including several Michigan measures that deal with matters like public health and food safety. If Congress can nullify one state’s agricultural standards at the request of special interests, no state’s laws are truly safe.
Senator Slotkin should stand with farmers who have invested in responsible production practices and with communities to retain the authority to set their own agricultural policies. I urge her, along with Senator Gary Peters, to reject the Save Our Bacon Act and ensure that it is not included in the Farm Bill. Congress should respect state authority, uphold voter-approved laws and support a food system that rewards innovation, responsibility and consumer trust rather than weakening those values.
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