Washington, D.C. — Today, the Senate Agriculture Committee passed its Farm Bill, the Agricultural Act of 2026, which now heads to the Senate floor for a vote.

In response, Food & Water Watch Food Policy Director Rebecca Wolf issued the following statement:

“Thanks to fierce advocate pressure, the Senate Farm Bill does not include the dangerous Save Our Bacon Act, and it restores mandatory country of origin labeling (MCOOL) for beef. MCOOL will shore up domestic markets, giving U.S. beef producers a lifeline in the face of President Trump’s chaotic tariff regime and flood of cheap, foreign imports.

“Restoration of mandatory country of origin labeling is a rare bright spot in an otherwise terrible Senate Farm Bill. This bill was passed along partisan lines, with Republicans continuing to ram pro-corporate food policy down Americans’ throats. This Farm Bill fails to protect sick Americans from pesticides; funnels more taxpayer dollars to corporate factory farms at the expense of sustainable producers; and maintains devastating nutrition assistance cuts. These provisions must be dead on arrival on the Senate floor.”

Amidst record-breaking consumer beef prices, Food & Water Watch and a broad-based coalition of allies launched a “Label Our Beef” petition earlier this month, calling on Congress to restore MCOOL for beef. MCOOL gives domestic beef producers an even playing field by protecting domestic markets from cheap imports. Trump endorsed the move earlier this month, under fire from ranchers for his widely criticized beef import plan.

The Senate Farm Bill:

• Fails to protect sick Americans from pesticides by ignoring this summer’s Monsanto Co. v. Durnell Supreme Court decision, which effectively handed pesticide corporations a liability shield and closed the courthouse doors to those harmed by toxic pesticides.
• Throws more money at factory farms by expanding Rural Energy for America Program biogas funding despite documented project failures and loan defaults.
• Pulls the rug out from sustainable farmers by gutting Environmental Quality Incentive Program budget authority and cutting $500 million from the Conservation Stewardship program, two of the nation’s most oversubscribed conservation programs. 
• Encourages hunger by failing to reverse H.R. 1 cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which left millions vulnerable to food insecurity.