New Op-Ed: Don’t Let Congress Undo California’s Animal-Welfare Vote

Advancing Law for Animals co-founder and co-director Vanessa Shakib published a new op-ed in the Westside Current warning that Congress could weaken California’s landmark farm animal protection law, Proposition 12.

In “Don’t Let Congress Undo California’s Animal-Welfare Vote,” Shakib explains that California voters approved Proposition 12 in 2018 to establish minimum space requirements for certain farmed animals and to restrict the sale of products that do not meet those standards. The law has survived years of legal and political challenges by industry, including a case that reached the U.S. Supreme Court.

The latest threat comes through the federal Farm Bill. The version passed by the U.S. House includes language known as the Save Our Bacon Act, which could limit states’ ability to apply animal-welfare standards to products coming from outside their borders. The Senate Agriculture Committee’s version of the Farm Bill does not currently include that provision, meaning the issue remains part of ongoing negotiations in Congress.

Shakib’s op-ed argues that the debate is about more than one California law. It raises a broader question about whether Congress should override animal-welfare protections adopted by voters and state legislatures.

Read Vanessa’s full op-ed, “Don’t Let Congress Undo California’s Animal-Welfare Vote,” in the Westside Current.