Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall is withdrawing his support for legislation that would nullify state animal welfare regulations including California’s Proposition 12.

The measure, introduced last year by GOP Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, the top U.S. hog state, leaves the bill with seven co-sponsors, all Republican. 

The reversal follows U.S. House passage of a farm bill in April that included the "Save Our Bacon Act," which would effectively end laws like Prop 12. The California rule requires minimum space requirements for breeding pigs, veal calves and egg-laying hens, and bars the sale of meat and egg products from farms that don’t meet the confinement standards.

Nearly 400 state and national agricultural groups, including The National Pork Producers Council and American Farm Bureau Federation, backed the farm bill provision to end Prop 12 and similar regulations, arguing that a patchwork of state rules is unsustainable. They also point to a North Dakota State University report showing that prices for certain pork products have jumped as much as 30%, while consumption of pork has fallen 16% in California due to Prop 12.

On the other side, opponents of efforts to eliminate Prop 12 say producers have already made hefty investments to comply with such rules. 

“We farmers in western Kansas are really proud of Senator Marshall for heeding our message that farmers have upgraded their sow housing systems and for protecting their access to California’s humane pork market,” said Mike Schultz, founder of the Kansas Cattlemen’s Association and vice president of the Organization for Competitive Markets, an advocacy group that fights consolidation in the farming industry.

The National Pork Producers Council expressed disappointment in Marshall's change of view. 

 “We appreciate Senator Marshall's past leadership and his willingness to speak plainly about what Prop 12 represents, and while we understand more than anyone the pressure of a full-on activist campaign, it is disheartening to see our country’s leadership cave to that pressure," said NPPC President Rob Brenneman, a pork producer from Washington County, Iowa. "The need for Congress to act and course-correct Prop 12 is even more urgent today than it was when the senator first championed this issue.”

Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman, R-Ark., doesn't plan to include an anti-Prop 12 provision in an upcoming farm bill on the grounds it's too divisive and could hinder passage of broader ag legislation. The measure still could be offered as an amendment on the Senate floor. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, has said he hopes Boozman will reconsider. 

Meanwhile, Marshall, a member of the Senate Ag Committee, is focused on other pressing farm issues right now, such as the push to allow year-round U.S. sales of higher ethanol-gasoline blends, known as E15, a spokesperson for the senator said. 

“With all of the challenges facing farm country right now — Senator Marshall is prioritizing year-round E15 and helping Chairman Boozman get a farm bill done,” said Payton Fuller, Marshall’s communications director. 

“Senator Marshall did American family farmers right by removing support for this dangerous bill,” said Holly Bice, president of the American Meat Producers Association, which says it’s backed by companies and groups that care about the “real-world impact” of ag policies. "We’re looking forward to his leadership to ensure no variation of Save Our Bacon is in any final farm bill.”

This story has been updated to include comments from Sen. Marshall's office and the National Pork Producers Council. 

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