Sportsmen’s Alliance Secures Farm Bill Fix for Hunting Dogs
As a result of tireless advocacy by the Sportsmen’s Alliance, its partners, members and affiliates, and strong Congressional leadership, anti-hunting language amended into the Farm Bill has been removed. Specifically, the House Agriculture Committee and Chairman G.T. Thompson have put forth a Farm Bill fix that removes language submitted by animal-rights groups that would ban certain types of hounds in hunting, as well as the use of “live lures” for training or field trials.
“We’re grateful for Chairman Thompson’s leadership on the Farm Bill, generally, and more specifically, his concerns for hunters and conservationists, and his efforts to remove the anti-hunting language from the Farm Bill,” said Torin Miller, Associate Litigation Counsel at the Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation. “We’ll now focus our efforts on getting a clean Farm Bill passed on the House floor. The Farm Bill is an incredibly important piece of conservation legislation, and with hunting-dog bans removed, we’re looking forward to advancing conservation programs and funding on behalf of hunters, anglers, and trappers.”
The Greyhound Protection Act of 2025 (H.R. 5017) was amended into the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 (Farm Bill) in early March. That bill, backed by animal-rights extremist Wayne Pacelle and his group Animal Wellness Action, would have impacted nearly anyone who hunts with retrievers, bird dogs or scent hounds by banning the use of live animals in dog training. Amendment supporters never told committee members of the broader impacts of the bill. Despite concerns by Chairman Thompson, H.R. 5017 was amended into the Farm Bill by voice vote.
Since then, the Sportsmen’s Alliance has been advocating for changes to the adopted language that would remove any trace of the anti-hunting language. With Chairman Thompson and the Ag Committee’s leadership, those changes have been formally adopted. The Farm Bill will now work through the House Rules Committee before being heard on the House floor.
“This result is a strong testament to the strength of the Sportsmen’s Alliance’s membership and the hunting community as a whole,” said Rob Sexton, Senior Vice President at the Sportsmen’s Alliance. “Thousands of hunters, dog owners and trainers made their voices heard, and we’re thankful for strong Congressional leaders that kept their ears open. Our job now is to protect this clean Farm Bill and make sure the Senate version is free from any anti-hunting threats as well.” Read more
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