Pro-Animal Future · Take Action

Be pro-animal.
Make it law.

Two federal fights are live. Save Our Bacon (the EATS-style Farm Bill rider) would gut state animal-welfare laws. NIH still funds breeding dogs for testing. Both die or pass on your senators' votes — call them today.

Enter your address. Two minutes. We give you the talking points + numbers.

Active fights

Each one decided by named officials.

Status, scope, ask, and stakes for every live federal fight. Click into a fight to see who's cosponsored, who's opposed, and who hasn't spoken yet — every claim sourced.

Fight #1Passed House (Farm Bill rider, 2026); pending Senate; broadly expected to fail in Senate but vote not yet scheduled

Farm Bill / EATS / Save Our Bacon

sweeping preemption push, riding on the 2026 Farm Bill, that would void state animal-welfare laws (CA Prop 12, MA Q3, dozens of others) by barring states from regulating agricultural products produced in other states. The "EATS Act" and "Save Our Bacon Act" are the named vehicles; both attach as Farm Bill riders.

The ask

Vote NO on the Farm Bill if it contains EATS / Save Our Bacon preemption language. Co-sponsor stand-alone repeal if it returns next session.

Stakes

Would gut Prop 12 (CA) gestation-crate + cage-free standards, MA Q3, and a generation of state laws covering puppy mills, foie gras, fur, horse slaughter, and dozens of welfare baselines. The single largest rollback of state animal-welfare authority in US history if enacted.

Every state·Senate-priority·34 public stances

Read briefing →

Fight #2Active — HHS Sec. Kennedy + NIH Dir. Bhattacharya have signaled openness to animal-testing reduction; Rep. Langworthy (NY-23) sent the first formal funding-cut letter Apr 24, 2026

NIH research-animal funding pipeline → Ridglan + Marshall

federal grants underwrite research that sources dogs from Ridglan Farms (Blue Mounds, WI) and Marshall BioResources (North Rose, NY). Cutting the funding stream is the federal lever on facilities that state regulators reach unevenly (USDA Class R registrants are largely outside state authority).

The ask

Sign or publicly co-sign the Langworthy letter; press HHS for an NIH grant moratorium on Class A dealers with active AWA citations.

Stakes

The most direct federal lever on Ridglan (WI) and Marshall BioResources (NY) absent state action — and the only lever that reaches Class R university research labs.

WI · NY·Both chambers·1 public stances

Read briefing →

Fight #3Existing state + city law; preemption pending in Senate via Save Our Bacon (Sec. 12006 of H.R. 7567)

State foie gras bans — defending the wins

California's foie gras production + sale ban (Health & Safety Code §§ 25980–25984, signed 2004 by Schwarzenegger, took effect 2012; CA's only foie gras farm closed) and NYC's 2019 foie gras ban (upheld by NY Appellate Division on March 12, 2026) would both be voided if Save Our Bacon clears the Senate. The fight to defend them is the same fight as Save Our Bacon — same vote, different lens.

The ask

Defend state authority over foie gras production and sale. Vote NO on Save Our Bacon / any Farm Bill containing preemption.

Stakes

CA's foie gras farm has stayed closed for 14 years because of state law. NYC just won a 2026 appellate ruling reopening enforcement. Federal preemption would erase both.

Every state·Senate-priority

Read briefing →

Fight #4Existing state + city law; preemption pending in Senate via Save Our Bacon

State fur bans — defending the wins

California's statewide fur retail ban (AB 44, 2019, first state in the nation), San Francisco / LA / Berkeley city bans, and parallel laws in MA, OR, RI, NJ. Like foie gras, these state-level wins live or die on the Senate's Save Our Bacon vote.

The ask

Defend state authority over fur sales. Vote NO on Save Our Bacon / any Farm Bill containing preemption.

Stakes

Statewide fur retail in CA has been illegal since 2023 (AB 44 effective date). Federal preemption would invalidate it along with parallel city + state ordinances nationwide.

Every state·Senate-priority

Read briefing →

See all federal fights →

State + city fights

Where the state-level levers are.

Every state and major city has its own animal-welfare fights — Marshall BioResources oversight in NY, foie gras enforcement (NYC ban upheld; Denver and DC ballot initiatives on the Nov 2026 ballot), Prop 12 defense in CA, Iowa's ag-gag landscape. Each links to the full state context.

WI · Wisconsin

Ridglan Farms license revocation

state-licensed beagle breeder housing ~2,000 dogs in Blue Mounds (Dane Co), supplying NIH-funded research. Lever: DATCP can revoke under existing Wis. Stat. § 173.41 / ATCP 16 authority before the July 1, 2026 deadline.

+ Wolf hunt regulation · Bear hounding restrictions + 1 more

Full state context →

NY · New York

Marshall BioResources oversight

major commercial dealer of beagles + ferrets to research, located in North Rose, **Wayne County** (largest ferret breeder in the world; ~23K beagles cited at facility; 20+ AWA citations since 2007). NY analog to Ridglan in WI. State lever: AG enforcement under NY's animal-cruelty + commercial-dealer authority; Wayne County DA criminal referral on AWA-citation patterns. (The federal NIH-funding lever on Marshall is the parallel federal track — see federal animal-policy fight #2.)

+ Retail pet ban implementation (A.4283) · Carriage horse welfare in NYC + 3 more

Full state context →

CA · California

Prop 12 implementation enforcement

pork industry continues to challenge implementation and out-of-state slaughter facility certification. SCOTUS upheld the law in *NPPC v. Ross* (2023, 5-4) but the regulatory machinery is still being contested. State lever: AG defense in court, CDFA rule-making. (The federal preemption track — EATS Act / Save Our Bacon — is the parallel federal fight; see federal animal-policy fight #1.)

+ UC system + Stanford animal research · Octopus farming preemption + 2 more

Full state context →

IA · Iowa

Industrial hog CAFO welfare

IA is the #1 hog-producing state in the US (~24M hogs at any time, more pigs than people). Most are housed in confinement operations with gestation crates and farrowing crates. Manure lagoons are the public-health flashpoint that animal welfare politics are downstream of. State lever: DNR + Dept of Ag standards. (The federal preemption fight — EATS Act — is the parallel federal track; see federal animal-policy fight #1.)

+ Ag-gag laws + investigative press freedom · Commercial puppy mills (USDA Class A dealers) + 3 more

Full state context →

CO · Colorado

Denver foie gras ballot measure (Nov 2026)

citizen-initiated **"Prohibit Force-Feeding Birds Act"** would ban the production and sale of foie gras in the City and County of Denver, with civil penalties of $1,000–$5,000 per violation and license-suspension exposure (up to 6 months) for repeat business violators ([proanimalcolorado.org full ordinance text](https://proanimalcolorado.org/prohibit-force-feeding-birds-act/); [Denver Clerk filed initiative PDF](https://www.denvergov.org/files/assets/public/v/1/clerk-and-recorder/documents/elections-division/2025/measures/force-feeding-sample-petition-stapled-copy-with-blue-manuscript.pdf)). Lead proponent: **Pro-Animal Colorado** (affiliate of Pro-Animal Future). Effective date if passed: **July 1, 2027** ([proanimalcolorado.org ordinance text](https://proanimalcolorado.org/prohibit-force-feeding-birds-act/)). - **Petition timeline**: Denver Clerk approved the petition for circulation summer 2025 ([Denver Gazette 2025-07-04](https://www.denvergazette.com/2025/07/04/city-okays-activists-to-circulate-foie-gras-ban-petition-0cbe8882-9a7d-4914-ac7d-fba21be403cd/)). Proponents submitted **16,158 signatures** in late 2025; the Clerk's office verified roughly **11,400 as valid on Dec 23, 2025**, qualifying the measure for the **November 2026 Denver ballot** ([Denverite 2025-12-30](https://denverite.com/2025/12/30/foie-gras-ban-activists-voters/)). - Official ballot measure number: not yet assigned in public sources reviewed `[VERIFY via denvergov.org elections division closer to ballot certification]`. - Lever: Denver voter turnout / persuasion campaign; Denver Mayor + City Council have no veto on a passed citizen initiative but control implementation through Excise & Licenses and Public Health & Environment.

+ Aurora / Boulder slaughterhouse + meatpacking concerns

Full state context →

Browse all 50 states →

Save Our Bacon · what's on the line

One bill would void a generation of state animal-welfare laws.

Save Our Bacon (the EATS-style Farm Bill rider) is preemption: it bans states from regulating agricultural products produced in other states. Prop 12 was a 62.65% landslide in California. Massachusetts Q3 passed by 78%. Both — and roughly 1,000 other state and local rules — are on the line.

100

senators decide whether Save Our Bacon becomes law

Two per state. The 2026 Farm Bill rider passed the House; the Senate is where it lives or dies. Every state's senators — including yours — are the lever.

1,000+

state + local laws preempted if it passes

Harvard Animal Law & Policy Program estimate of state and local rules that would be voided — Prop 12, MA Q3, fur bans, horse-slaughter bans, foie gras, dozens of puppy-mill laws.

80%

of Americans support state laws like Prop 12

Including >75% of Republicans (2022 poll cited by Humane World Action Fund). The public mandate is bipartisan; the Senate vote is what's uncertain.

senators on the July 2025 opposition letter

The opposition coalition has the floor count to block — keeping that 32 intact through markup and floor vote is the choke point.

Read the Save Our Bacon brief →

Where the coalition is working

Federal preemption. New York policy. Wisconsin coalition.

The animal-protection coalition works the policy levers — federal preemption, state research-animal protections — and shares the load on the campaigns that have already moved Ridglan and need to move next on the New York research dogs.

Federal · Senate fight

Stop Save Our Bacon.
Defend state laws.

The coalition pushes to defeat Save Our Bacon (the EATS-style Farm Bill rider) in the Senate. Reps. Pocan (WI-2) and Langworthy (NY-23) have led — every senator should follow.

100

senators
decide

Brief →

New York · Policy lever

Save the NY dogs
through policy.

With Envigo closed and Ridglan closing, the largest dog-breeding facility for laboratory testing left in the U.S. is in upstate NY. The coalition works the federal funding lever + state regulatory authority.

~23k

research dogs
in upstate NY

NY page →

Wisconsin · Coalition

Free the dogs.
Finish the job.

The Save the Ridglan Dogs coalition drove the license-surrender deadline; rescue groups have an agreement to purchase ~1,500 beagles. Get every remaining dog out alive.

Jul 1

2026 license
surrender

WI page →

The dog-research fight

Federal funding still pays for breeding dogs in cages.

Envigo closed in 2022. Ridglan closes July 1, 2026. The largest research-dog breeder left in the U.S. is in upstate New York — and NIH still funds the labs that buy from these breeders. Cutting that pipeline is the federal lever. The coalition is pressing HHS / NIH for a grant moratorium on Class A dealers with active AWA citations.

~500

dogs still inside Ridglan in Wisconsin

License-surrender deadline July 1, 2026. Rescue groups have an agreement to purchase ~1,500 beagles. Get every remaining dog out alive.

~23,000

research dogs in upstate New York

Largest research-dog breeder left in the U.S. The coalition works the policy lever — NIH research-animal funding, state regulatory authority over Class R labs.

Save the dogs — read the brief →Wisconsin · Ridglan →New York · research dogs →

Leaders speaking up

Two members of Congress — one from each party — have already led.

Their actions named Ridglan specifically. The federal asks they're making apply to every breeder in this supply chain.

Democrat

Rep. Mark Pocan

he/him

“In my district, a beagle breeding facility called Ridglan Farms has hundreds of code violations, including serious harm to the health of the dogs, yet the NIH is still giving funding to groups that use the beagles from this facility. Today, I urged Secretary Kennedy to stop this …”
— X post · April 16, 2026

Pocan represents Wisconsin's 2nd District — the district where Ridglan operates. He has met this moment with moral clarity. Every other Wisconsin House rep and both senators should follow. - Thank him for publicly naming Ridglan's harm — including in a direct ask to HHS Sec. Kennedy. - Thank him for pressing NIH to suspend funding to projects sourcing from Ridglan beagles. - Ask him to keep going — Marshall is the next major target.

Full profile →

Republican

Rep. Nicholas A. Langworthy

he/him

“I urge you to take further action by ending any National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding streams that support research involving dogs sourced from Ridglan Farms… Immediately suspend funding for any projects that rely on Ridglan beagles.”
— Letter to HHS Sec. Kennedy & NIH Dir. Bhattacharya · April 24, 2026

Wrote to HHS Sec. Kennedy and NIH Director Bhattacharya in April 2026 demanding immediate suspension of NIH funding for Ridglan-sourced research. Republican leadership on ending vivisection. - Thank him for the Kennedy/Bhattacharya letter — bipartisan moral courage. - Bigger picture: Marshall BioResources, near his own NY-23 district, is ~10× the size of Ridglan. - Ask him to lead on Marshall next — the New York case is his to make.

Full profile →

More leaders, more action