Report: $40M Anti-Prop 12 Fix Drive Backed by Tech Wealth, Not Farmers

A RealClearInvestigations report links a $40 million campaign against a congressional fix to California's Proposition 12 to Silicon Valley fortunes and animal-rights advocacy — not the independent farmers the campaign claims to represent, according to the National Pork Producers Council.

At the center sits the American Meat Producers Association (AMPA), which has announced a $30 million effort opposing the Save Our Bacon provision that would correct Prop 12 in the farm bill. James Varney's investigation, "The Bacon Wars: Pig Farmers Battle Tech Barons Over Animal Welfare," digs into the money, leadership and advertising behind that push.

The NPPC says the report raises three questions: Who is paying for the campaign? Whose interests does it represent? And what are the consequences for American farmers and consumers?

Where does the money come from?

RCI traces major financial support to some of Silicon Valley's largest fortunes and the Effective Altruism movement. Coefficient Giving — formerly Open Philanthropy, founded by Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz and Cari Tuna — gave $10 million to the Navigation Fund, one of AMPA's funders. An internal Navigation Fund memo obtained by RCI called the effort "the biggest fight we've ever waged in Congress."

The structure matters. AMPA operates through three entities: a 501(c)(3), a 501(c)(4) that isn't required to publicly disclose donors, and a political action committee. On October 2, the PAC received $3 million from AMPA's 501(c)(4). That transfer accounts for more than 97% of all money the PAC has raised.

Public filings to date identify exactly one donor whose reported occupation is "farmer" — and that donor contributed $1,000.

What did AMPA's leadership say?

Twelve days after the $3 million transfer, AMPA President Holly Bice said her donors had been "individual Americans stepping up to give independent farmers a voice," and she expected filings to show donations from farmers and meat companies. The next PAC filing disclosed the 501(c)(4)'s $3 million — but only the single $1,000 farmer contribution, and nothing from any meat company.

RCI reports that Bice is neither a farmer nor a meat producer. She previously lobbied for Animal Wellness Action and the Humane Society Legislative Fund. The Navigation Fund is led by longtime animal advocacy figure David Coman-Hidy, and its leadership includes a former senior vice president of Mercy For Animals. RCI also found that another farmer featured in a recent AMPA attack ad has spent years organizing against modern livestock production, including campaigns targeting Iowa farms.

AMPA's Maryland incorporation filing names Phil Gatto, CEO of California-based premium meat company True Story Foods, as one of three founding directors. True Story Foods sells Prop 12-compliant pork, lists Russ Kremer — another AMPA-featured farmer — as a partner, and hired Bice as its Washington lobbyist.

What about the 'China influence' ads?

AMPA and allied groups have spent millions on ads accusing pork producers and members of Congress of serving Chinese corporate interests. RCI found those accusations rest on small, publicly disclosed contributions from HAMPAC — a federally registered PAC funded by eligible U.S. employees of Smithfield Foods, not China.

The numbers are lopsided. Sen. Chuck Grassley has received $7,000 from HAMPAC since 2009. Sen. Roger Marshall got $1,000 in 2018; Rep. Ashley Hinson received $1,250 in 2023. Those sums are dwarfed by the tens of millions raised for the campaign attacking Save Our Bacon supporters.

What has Prop 12 cost consumers?

North Dakota State University research cited by RCI found California pork prices rose an average of 20% after Prop 12's implementation, costing consumers an estimated $353 million while pork consumption fell 16%.

In comments to RCI, the NPPC said: "A $30 million advertising campaign built on character attacks and misleading claims says far more about the people funding it than it does about the American farmers and members of Congress it is targeting."

With the farm bill still in play, the disclosures are likely to sharpen scrutiny of who funds the fight over Save Our Bacon — and what the next PAC filings reveal about farmer support.