Industrial Agriculture Conversion Act (IACA) Would Harm Producers and American Families

On September 25, 2024, the Industrial Agriculture Conversion Act (IACA) was introduced to the United States Congress by Rep. Alma Adams (D-N.C.), Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) in the House, and Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) in the Senate.

The bill is specifically designed to eliminate large modern farms, often known as concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs).

Incentives for Following Animal & Environmental Extremist Agendas

IACA would create federal funding opportunities for agricultural operations to transition to what the bill’s supporters erroneously refer to as “more sustainable and humane production systems.” The money would be made available via the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). IACA is designed to encourage producers to change their existing “industrial” infrastructure entirely to pasture-based livestock operations or specialty crop production. The bill would also provide what supporters refer to as “critical protections” from “potential retaliation from meatpackers and the factory farming industry.”

The bill specifically targets large modern farms / concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), essential in the contemporary, humane, large-scale production of meat, milk, and eggs. Press releases announcing the IACA use the term “factory farming,” which was coined by the interconnected animal and environmental extremist movements to describe these operations with the aim of creating negative connotations in the minds of the public. Extremists have also intentionally misled consumers by referring to all animal agriculture as “factory farming” as a way to depersonalize and denigrate the industry.

Specifically, the IACA would:

• Create a new grant program within the existing USDA Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), using funds provided for climate-smart conservation practices by the IRA
• Provide grants for on-farm infrastructure improvements to convert medium or large CAFOs to either crop production or pasture-based livestock operations
• Require that grant recipients permanently cease the operation of a CAFO within 180 days
• Prevent grant funds from being “misused” for new unsustainable facilities, such as manure digesters or manure lagoons (Cory Booker is also against manure digesters)
• Require 10% non-federal cost-sharing, with the option of lower cost-sharing amounts for socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers
• Protect grant applicants from retaliation under the Packers and Stockyards Act

Limiting Production Equals High Costs for Consumers

Legislation like IACA is painted in rosy colors as broadly beneficial, but the actual adverse effects of enactment would be varied and widespread.

Not all land is suitable for conversion to pasture or cropland. Even in cases where a CAFO could be converted, gross food production ability would be drastically reduced because CAFOs are highly efficient and productive year-round, while crop or pastureland generally is not.

A reduction in the number of large modern farms would effectively limit production and supply, raising consumer prices. In some cases, this could make the cost of nutritious food products unaffordable for many families.

Would Animal Welfare Be Improved by IACA?

Over 21,000 CAFOs in the United States are already strictly regulated to meet scientifically sound and well-established humane animal husbandry and food quality standards. This provides the public with a humane, safe, high-quality, consistent, and affordable supply of food products. CAFOs, like dairies and other facilities, are designed with animal comfort, health, and well-being in mind.

The efficiencies and benefits of large modern farms to both the environment and animal welfare are numerous, including:

• Individual management of the health of animals, their production, and food and water intake
• Protection against disease and predators
• Climate controlled for inclement weather
• Management of manure and bedding – ensuring animals are living in a clean, comfortable environment and manure is properly managed to protect surrounding ecosystems
• Management of stormwater runoff to protect the environment
• Increased efficiencies when it comes to land use, water, energy, and other inputs, effectively lowering the GHG footprint of animal agriculture

Senator Booker’s Anti-Animal Agriculture Background

It is essential to recognize that Senator Booker boasts about being vegan and has a long history of involvement in the implementation of animal rights ideology and agenda. He is a favorite among extremist groups seeking to abolish animal use entirely. In 2017, Booker was the headline guest at the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) Farm Animal Protection gala fundraiser in Los Angeles. Like Booker, the Humane Society of the United States also has an extensive track record of activities targeting animal agriculture nationwide. Via its Humane Society Legislative Fund, the organization provides free publicity for lawmakers who support their legislative initiatives against agriculture and animal ownership.

Senator Booker stated: “This legislation leverages conservation funding to give farmers a completely voluntary new path forward by providing them with the resources they need to transition to a more climate-friendly and humane production system that is good for people, animals, and the planet."

Booker has previously backed numerous anti-animal agriculture bills, such as the Farm System Reform Act, the Protecting America’s Meatpacking Workers Act, the Wildlife Corridors Act of 2019, and the Opportunities for Fairness in Farming Act. These bills have been deliberately given positive titles and misleading summaries to disguise the underlying agenda to gradually eliminate animal-based food products.

Well-Known Extremist Groups Support IACA

IACA’s sponsors claim broad approval of the bill, but the reality is that many supporting organizations listed are prominent animal and environmental extremist groups that have well-documented positions against agriculture in general and especially against animal agriculture. Among the nationally known groups supporting IACA are the following animal rights and environmental extremist groups: the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF), Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), Earth Justice, Friends of the Earth, the Sierra Club, and Socially Responsible Agriculture Project (SRAP).

Consider The Source

It is essential for the vitality of agriculture to be aware of the introduction of bills like the IACA and, even more importantly, to examine their origins and the driving forces behind them. Very often, the true intent and actual results of passing these bills vastly differ from what was portrayed.

Links

Bill Text HERE

Section by section description of IACA HERE

Supporters of IACA HERE

Humane Society Legislative Fund Lawmaker Scorecard - State Map HERE

Additional Information about Cory Booker's Anti-Animal Agriculture Agenda HERE

Examples of Anti-Animal Agriculture Legislation HERE