As governments grapple with how to reform food and farming systems, a pivotal question is emerging: will policymakers support the farmers already leading the transition to more humane and sustainable agriculture, or allow them to be undercut by the very systems reform is meant to replace?

Across both the United States and Europe, farmers are increasingly stepping forward to share their experiences. They are demonstrating, in practical terms, how higher animal welfare standards can support farm viability. Yet in many cases, the policy environment risks slowing or even reversing the progress they have made.

Save Our Bacon

Nowhere is this tension more visible than in the United States, where the ongoing Farm Bill debate has brought these issues into sharp focus. At the centre is the proposed “Save Our Bacon” clause, which could override state-level animal welfare laws such as California’s Proposition 12. This landmark legislation requires that pork, eggs, and veal sold in the state come from animals raised with minimum space allowances: standards upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court and widely seen as a key driver of higher-welfare farming across the country.

For many farmers, the implications are immediate.

It’s a direct blow against independent, humane farmers like myself,

said Jody Osmund, a pasture-based farmer supplying local communities. Like many others, Osmund has invested significantly in higher-welfare systems, responding to consumer demand.

The scale of concern over the threat to state-level animal welfare laws has prompted a highly visible response from farmers. Hundreds have travelled to Washington D.C. to meet lawmakers and oppose efforts to roll back higher welfare standards. Tractor and vehicle rallies around Capitol Hill have brought their message directly to policymakers, while coordinated campaigns and open letters have sought to ensure their voices are clearly heard. For these farmers, the issues are fundamental: fairness, market access and ultimately their own survival.

World cage-free day

In the EU too, farmers are stepping up for higher welfare, nature-friendly farming. At a recent event outside the European Commission on World Cage-Free Day, cage-free farmers from across the region shared their experiences directly with policymakers. Their message was clear: the transition is already underway.

Farmers are successfully operating higher-welfare systems that deliver for animals, the environment and rural livelihoods. At the same time, they highlighted the challenges they continue to face, particularly competing with lower-cost, lower-welfare imports and the need for more supportive policy frameworks.

Farmers Driving Nature and Animal-Friendly Food Systems