How China got caught in the crossfire of a US bacon fight

In the summer of 2023, a peculiar sight captured the attention of Midwestern Americans: political advertisements linking China to the controversial Save Our Bacon Act. This act, championed by Republican congresswoman Ashley Hinson of Iowa, sought to overturn a California law, Proposition 12, which imposed stricter space requirements for breeding pigs and prohibited the sale of pork from animals raised below those standards.

At first glance, the advertisements appeared to be a typical Republican effort to counter Beijing's influence. However, a deeper investigation revealed a more complex web of animal welfare, agricultural regulation, and America's growing political anxiety over China.

Proposition 12, approved by California voters in 2018, was upheld by the US Supreme Court in 2023. The law's economic impact was a key point of contention, with a North Dakota State University study finding a 73-cent-per-pound increase in pork prices after full enforcement. Pork producers argued that the costs of constructing Prop 12-compliant housing could range up to $4,000 per sow, a burden particularly affecting smaller family farms.

Enter the Save Our Bacon Act, introduced by Hinson to protect interstate commerce for Iowa livestock producers. Opponents, led by the American Meat Producers Association (AMPA), accused the bill of benefiting Chinese corporations, specifically Smithfield Foods, America's largest pork producer. WH Group, Smithfield's parent company, was originally a Chinese company listed in Hong Kong.

AMPA, founded in late 2025 and led by Holly Bice, launched a US$30 million campaign targeting Midwestern lawmakers. Bice claimed the group was backed by meat companies, which had already spent millions transitioning to Prop 12-compliant facilities, giving them a financial stake in preserving such mandates.

Smithfield Foods, in response, argued that Prop 12 raised pork prices for consumers and failed to objectively improve animal welfare. The National Pork Producers Council, a strong supporter of the Save Our Bacon Act, dismissed AMPA's claims as "baseless" and emphasized that the controversy was not about China or any foreign-owned company.