Big Ag’s Latest Deception: What You Need to Know About the Food Security and Farm Protection Act
Hannah Truxell
Factory farming lobbyists and their allies in Congress have copied and pasted last year’s defeated EATS Act into new legislation with a different name—but compassionate people like you see through their deception.
The shamelessness is stunning—even for the factory farming industry. After their failed attempt to pass the controversial Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression (EATS) Act, industry lobbyists are back with a new scheme. They’ve literally copied and pasted the EATS Act into new legislation, slapped on a different name, and are trying to sneak it through Congress.
The deceptively named “Food Security and Farm Protection Act,” introduced by Senators Ernst, Grassley, and Marshall in April, is identical to the EATS Act—only the title has changed. And that’s by design. The industry is hoping we won't notice that this is the exact same attack on animals, just wearing a new disguise.
But we’re smarter than that.
What’s really at stake with the Food Security and Farm Protection Act?
This desperate move would strip states of their ability to ban products made through extreme cruelty. That means vital state laws protecting animals from the worst factory farming practices—laws like California’s Proposition 12, which ensures mother pigs can turn around and egg-laying hens can spread their wings—would be wiped out.
Thanks to compassionate residents and tireless grassroots activism, ten states have already passed laws and regulations prohibiting the sale of eggs from hens kept in battery cages—one of the cruelest forms of intensive confinement in our food system. These state-level victories represent countless hours of work by animal advocates, careful deliberation by state and local legislators, and millions of votes by people who believe animals deserve better. If the Food Security and Farm Protection Act passes, all of that progress would vanish—and future efforts to protect animals at the state and local levels would be blocked.
The bill threatens to eliminate:
- Laws freeing hens from battery cages in states like Massachusetts, Washington, and Arizona
- California’s Proposition 12 and similar laws protecting mother pigs and calves
- Bans on force-fed foie gras
- Protections for dogs in puppy mills
- Laws against painful cosmetic testing on animals
- And many more hard-won victories for animals
But the threat goes beyond animal protection. According to Harvard Law School’s analysis, this deceptively named bill would also undermine state and local laws protecting:
- Food safety and public health
- Environmental protection
- Worker safety
- Consumer choice
- Religious food labeling laws
Why this desperate move by the factory farming industry?
Big Meat knows that consumers are demanding better treatment of animals. They see states passing stronger and stronger protections against factory farm cruelty. And they’re scrambling to maintain their grip on a system that puts profits over basic animal welfare.
The industry is betting that if they just keep trying, eventually we’ll get tired and give up. They’re hoping to override the will of the American people—even when nearly 70% of Americans, across party lines, say animal wellness is either “very” or “extremely” important to purchasing decisions.
But they’re wrong. Together, we stopped the EATS Act—and together, we can defeat this copy-cat bill too.
What you can do
The factory farming industry may have deep pockets, but they’re underestimating the power of compassionate people standing together for what's right. Your voice matters now more than ever.
Contact your Representatives and Senators today. Tell them you see through this deception and won’t back down. Let them know you oppose any version of the Farm Bill that includes provisions from the Food Security and Farm Protection Act.
Together, we can ensure that state and local communities retain their right to reject products of cruelty—and keep moving forward toward a world where all animals are treated with the basic dignity they deserve.
