Thanks to everyone who made calls, neither COOL nor the enforcement of the Packers and Stockyards Act were weakened in the 2014 Farm Bill! These are both important victories for U.S. independent producers.
The COOL lawsuit in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals is ongoing. R-CALF USA will continue to defend COOL. We encourage everyone to buy Made in the U.S.A. products. As consumers, we’re voting with every dollar we spend.
Checkoff
In response to R-CALF USA’s request for an investigation, the USDA Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued an updated report that reverses its 2013 conclusions that the NCBA had properly expended all Beef Checkoff Program funds and that the relationship between the Beef Checkoff Program’s Cattlemen’s Beef Board (CBB) and the NCBA complied with U.S. law. This is the first time OIG has pulled a report and reissued a correction.
Additionally, R-CALF USA has requested an investigation to determine the legality of using cattle-producer contributions mandated by the U.S. beef checkoff program to help Wendy’s advertise “North American beef.”
The request states that the Montana Beef Council maintains an advertisement on its website for Wendy’s and “100% pure North American beef.” Also, the request cites a newspaper article that states that $5,000 obtained from the “$1-per-head beef check-off fee” will be used to pay for the “North American beef” promotional campaign. Since R-CALF USA’s letter was sent, the advertisement has been changed to read “100% pure beef.”
R-CALF USA believes that if U.S. producers are prohibited from using checkoff funds to promote their beef (exclusively born, raised, and slaughtered in the U.S.) then it is patently unlawful for checkoff funds to be used to promote their competitors’ beef – beef from cattle that were not born, raised and slaughtered in the U.S.
Brazil
USDA has issued a proposed rule to allow the importation of fresh and chilled beef from 14 states in Brazil, a country that had been plagued with the most contagious disease known to cattle - foot-and-mouth-disease (FMD). USDA admits that Brazilian imports would increase the risk of introducing FMD into the United States. Additionally, USDA admits that imports of cheap Brazilian beef will harm U.S. cattle producers. To prevent this rule, we need your help. Please send comments to USDA before April 22, 2014. Tell USDA that its proposal to import fresh and chilled beef from 14 states in Brazil is anti-American, irresponsible and dangerous. Tell them it will increase our risk of introducing FMD, destroy our cattle markets, and drive even more U.S. cattle producers out of business.
R-CALF USA is solely funding by donations and member dues. For more info or to join go to http://www.r-calfusa.com, 406-252-2516.
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