Senate Advances Farm Bill 2.0 Without Addressing California’s Proposition 12

On Wednesday the Senate Agriculture Committee voted along party lines to approve a markup of the Farm Bill 2.0, a package touted by Chairman John Boozman as containing more than 100 bipartisan priorities. The legislation does not include any provision addressing California’s Proposition 12, which sets confinement standards for hogs, egg-laying hens and veal calves and could limit how North Carolina producers operate. The House already passed its version, the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, which would bar state and local governments from enforcing production standards on livestock raised outside their borders, thereby shielding North Carolina hog farms from California rules.

Agriculture accounts for $102 billion annually in North Carolina, supporting over 42,000 jobs, and the final bill will determine whether the state’s pork industry must comply with out-of-state animal-welfare laws. Additional provisions in the Senate draft include expanded seafood office functions, SNAP error-reduction measures, and new credit access for commercial fishing. Critics note the omission of the Save Our Bacon Act, a proposal favored by pork interests, while supporters argue the bill offers certainty for farm families and rural communities.