Conflict between pig farmers and IT billionaires over Proposition 12

The standoff centers around California's Proposition 12, passed by voters in 2018. The rule requires pregnant sows to be housed in stalls with at least 24 square feet of floor space if the resulting products are supplied to the state market. Since California accounts for about 13% of the country's pork consumption, producers across the U.S. have to comply with these requirements, even though the state produces less than 1% of American pork.

In 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that this issue should be regulated by Congress. In the spring, the House of Representatives passed an agricultural bill including the "Save Our Bacon" amendment, which prohibits individual states from imposing livestock housing standards on producers from other regions.

This triggered opposition from Silicon Valley tech moguls and activists advocating for animal rights and a plant-based diet. Substantial funding, including million-dollar investments from entities like Coefficient Giving and The Navigation Fund, was directed toward multi-million-dollar advertising campaigns and the support of newly established organizations, such as the American Meat Producers Association (AMPA). Led by Holly Beach, a former lobbyist for vegan and animal protection groups, this organization positions itself as a defender of farmers' interests, yet it is funded by IT executives and lacks any actual meat producers in its leadership.

The advertising campaigns and attacks targeted not only representatives of the National Pork Producers Council, but also a number of politicians in various states, as well as U.S. Senate candidates seeking to prevent the adoption of protective measures for farmers at the federal level.