Dear editor:
The Opportunities for Fairness in Farming (OFF) Act could be one of the most important legislations to protect our cattle industry!
There are exciting initiatives in the works to stop the decline of beef cattle numbers and cattle ranching operations as well as independent cattle feeding and beef processing businesses.
The OFF Act is an important tool to address all of the above, but it is no wonder the OFF Act has been the target of so much disinformation and flat out lies and intentional misrepresentations.
Search the bill yourself and you will not find any language about ending the beef checkoff or lamb checkoff or that the bill is designed to benefit animal rights agendas. If you have heard any of these or other lies from your state and national cattle organization or sheep organizations about S.557, you now know your dues are being used against you.
Below are some facts, compiled by Farm Action Fund. When you read these you will see how important periodic audits and complete transparency is in the use of your checkoff dollars to ensure the beef checkoff operates within the limited and intended scope of its purpose:
In 2010, an independent audit examining the equivalent of just nine days of beef checkoff program spending found that the primary beef checkoff contractor, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), had improperly spent more than $200,000 in checkoff dollars on lobbying and overseas vacations.
Despite a Freedom of Information Act complaint, the full audit has not been released to the public.
The beef industry provides a compelling case study for how corporate-seized checkoff programs operate on behalf of large consolidated corporations and against the interests of independent producers. Independent cattle producers are required to pay a dollar per head of cattle, and as much as 83 cents of that dollar is directed to the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), a trade and lobbying organization operating on behalf of world’s largest meatpacking corporations.
More than 70% of NCBA’s budget comes out of the pockets of farmers and ranchers via the checkoff program. NCBA uses the money to legitimize itself as the voice of the industry, even though its membership includes less than four percent of America’s cattle producers. Its policy positions on matters including labeling issues, fair competition, and fair trade practices benefit meatpacking conglomerates, not cattle producers.
Since the NCBA began administering the lion’s share of the beef checkoff funds, the U.S. has lost nearly half of its cattle producers, beef consumption has declined by 30%, and the four largest meatpacking corporations control 85% of the market.”
Please call Sen. John Barrasso, Phone 202-224-6441, Sen. Cynthia Lummis, Phone: (202) 224-3424, Rep. Harriet Hageman, Phone: (202) 225-2311 and ask for their support on S.557/H.R.1249
Sincerely,
Hugh Turk,
President of the Independent Cattlemen of Wyoming.
