Farm Bill Moves Forward with Mixed Results for Animals

• The House Farm Bill advanced with mixed outcomes for animal welfare.
• A bipartisan amendment removed an ASPCA-opposed puppy mill provision that threatened to further jeopardize the welfare of dogs in USDA licensed facilities.
• Language that threatens state farm animal welfare laws and farmers already invested in more humane standards remains in the bill.
• Take action to protect animals as the Farm Bill moves forward.

On March 5, 2026, the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture advanced its Farm Bill, delivering mixed results for animals. The Farm Bill is a huge piece of legislation that identifies national agricultural priorities and reaffirms the responsibilities of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), offering an important opportunity to protect animals from cruelty.

In a meaningful victory for animal welfare, the committee approved a bipartisan amendment striking harmful language from the bill that would have removed certain protections for dogs in puppy mills. Unfortunately, the committee retained a provision that invalidates existing state and local farm animal welfare laws. It also failed to include a provision to protect the tens of thousands of American horses who are exported for slaughter each year.

Good News for Dogs in Puppy Mills

As first drafted, the House Farm Bill included harmful language that would have made it even harder to protect the quarter of a million dogs living in cruel puppy mills across the country. The provision would have raised the threshold for when the USDA could help suffering dogs, even though the agency’s own data shows that sick and injured animals aren’t receiving aid under the current standard. This would have made it even less likely that dogs would get the help they need.

Fortunately, Rep. Zach Nunn (R-Iowa) offered and helped pass an amendment that removed the troubling provision from the House Farm Bill. Speaking in favor of his amendment, Rep. Nunn said the “extreme violations” at a puppy mill in his district led hundreds of dogs to suffer without intervention, and he was told by law enforcement that “Congress needs to do more to protect these animals and support people trying to rescue them.” Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.) also spoke in favor of the amendment, noting that “zero dogs were removed” from puppy mills in 2025 “despite USDA inspectors documenting suffering on inspection reports.”

Bad News for Farm Animals

The Farm Bill still contains the Save Our Bacon Act (H.R. 4673), a re-branded version of the Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression (EATS) Act from a previous session. This provision would nullify voter-approved state bans on cruel farming practices — including the use of gestation crates for pigs and veal crates for calves — and undo hundreds of state laws regulating public health and safety. Overturning these popular, commonsense laws would be an unprecedented federal overreach that harms billions of farm animals and undermines states’ authority to regulate products sold within their borders. This provision would hurt farmers who have already invested in more humane housing systems to serve growing markets, and it would make it harder for consumers to find higher‑welfare products that align with their compassion for animals.

Rep. Jim Costa (D-Calif.) and Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) spoke against this provision in the committee meeting. Rep. McGovern noted that “Americans expect farm animals to be treated with basic humane standards” and explained that confinement bans are popular with farmers, too. Unfortunately, the committee did not remove the language.

How YOU Can Help

The Farm Bill could be debated on the U.S. House floor at any time. Please use our easy online form to urge your federal lawmakers to remove language that would nullify state farm animal confinement bans and add a provision that protects American horses from slaughter.