NCBA Fights Another Attempt to End Checkoff
Legislation was introduced in both the U.S. House and Senate on Tuesday that seeks to reform the Beef Checkoff program the industry self-funds for promotional and educational use.
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) called the legislation “nothing more than another attempt to allow activists to dictate to producers.”
The Opportunities for Fairness in Farming (OFF) Act seeks to reform the checkoff to protect farmers from alleged misappropriation of funds and anticompetitive practices. Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah), along with Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), introduced the Senate bill. Reps. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) and Dina Titus (D-Nev.) introduced the House bill.
NCBA said, “Sens. Booker and Warren have long been supported by animal rights groups, and this collective group of bill sponsors has worked long and hard to dismantle our industry’s only self-funded promotion and education effort.
“In 2021 cattle producers overwhelmingly denied a referendum to end the Checkoff with detractors coming nowhere near the required signatures to petition for the termination of this vital program. The Beef Checkoff has a long track record of support among cattle producers,” said NCBA president and South Dakota cattleman Todd Wilkinson. “Congress has plenty of work to do that could be far more beneficial to Americans. They should focus in areas of urgent need, rather than wasting time on these unwelcome “reform efforts,” that would only benefit anti-agriculture activists.
The Checkoff’s legality and current implementation has already been upheld by multiple federal courts and, last year, the Supreme Court denied a petition challenging the Checkoff. Cattle producers understand the high return on investment and increase in beef demand the Checkoff provides.
“For every dollar paid into the Checkoff program, $11.91 is returned in producer profit and between 2014-2018 total domestic beef demand increased by 12.8 billion pounds. Any legislation that would hurt beef promotion efforts is tantamount to taking money directly out of cattle producers’ pockets,” said Wilkinson. “The introduction of the “Opportunities for Fairness in Farming Act of 2023” represents Senators Booker, Lee, Paul, Warren, and Gillibrand working to subvert the will of U.S. cattle producers. NCBA will always stand firm in its support of the U.S. Beef Checkoff program and will continue to fight the animal rights groups and the members of Congress who assist them in their efforts to end animal agriculture.”
R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard issued the following statement in support of the bipartisan and bicameral legislation.
“The decades old beef checkoff program is ill-suited to meet the needs of today’s cattle farmers and ranchers, in fact, the program promotes corporate control and globalization over the interests of America’s cattle producers.”
