Opposition to Interstate Livestock Rule Shuts Down
Livestock producers selling across state lines should watch whether a preemption provision reaches the final farm bill.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Agriculture
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Competitive Markets Action and its affiliated Competitive Markets PAC have ceased operations after their boards determined financial resources were exhausted. The groups had spent three and a half years opposing the Save Our Bacon Act, which affects livestock producers and their interstate market access.
Why it matters
The closure removes a prominent organized voice against legislation that would bar state and local governments from interfering with livestock production in other states, a rule that bears directly on how pork and livestock producers can sell across state lines. With the Senate and House agriculture chairs still optimistic a similar provision will reach a final package, producers face a policy question that is no longer contested by this group.
The organizations advocated for three and a half years before closing, and the American Meat Producers Association has committed a multimillion-dollar electoral campaign against the Save Our Bacon Act. The source does not quantify the funding shortfall that led to the closure.
The players
American Meat Producers Association
A trade association representing meat producers that has launched a multimillion-dollar electoral campaign against the Save Our Bacon Act, led by president Holly Bice.
Competitive Markets Action
An advocacy organization that opposed the Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression Act and the Save Our Bacon Act and has now ceased operations.
Ashley Hinson
A Republican U.S. Representative from Iowa who introduced the Save Our Bacon Act in July 2025.
John Boozman
The Republican U.S. Senator from Arkansas who chairs the Senate Agriculture Committee and has said he is optimistic a similar provision will reach a final package.
Glenn Thompson
The Republican U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania who chairs the House Agriculture Committee and has voiced optimism about a provision making it into the final package.
The details
The Save Our Bacon Act, first introduced by U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA) in July 2025 and previously known as the EATS Act and the Protect Interstate Commerce Act, prohibits state and local governments from interfering with livestock production in other states. The House included its companion language, H.R. 467, in the House-passed farm bill, but the Senate committee version did not include it. Competitive Markets Action and Competitive Markets PAC had opposed the bill as part of their broader advocacy, and their closure removes that opposition from the policy debate.
Timeline
July 2025: Rep. Ashley Hinson introduces the Save Our Bacon Act.
Last year (2025): House Agriculture Committee hearing where Chairman Glenn Thompson addressed China-related concerns.
November 2, 2026: Competitive Markets Action and Competitive Markets PAC announce closure effective immediately.
Market Landscape
The bill is designed to limit state-level livestock rules such as California's Proposition 12, and the fight over it has pitted meat producers against advocacy groups focused on competitive markets. The closure of Competitive Markets Action leaves the American Meat Producers Association's electoral campaign as the most visible organized force in this contest.
Livestock producers should track whether a preemption provision appears in the final farm bill, since it would affect whether state production standards can apply to their operations. Operators selling across state lines should consult qualified counsel on how any enacted language would change their compliance obligations.
The takeaway
Track the final farm bill text for any language preempting state livestock production rules, since that single provision would determine whether state standards affect interstate sales. Livestock operators should route any compliance planning through qualified counsel before the package is finalized.
What happens next
The Senate and House are working toward a final farm bill package, and both agriculture chairs have said they are optimistic a provision like the Save Our Bacon Act will be included.
Further reading
For broader context on the livestock and farm policy debates shaping this fight, see the Agriculture coverage for United States producers.
Source note: This article includes information reported by National Hog Farmer.
Live Poll
Should federal law override state animal-housing rules like California's Proposition 12?
