Judge Sides with R-CALF Against Beef Checkoff

by

NAFB reports: 

A federal judge this week sided with R-CALF by recommending the Montana U.S. District Court grant a preliminary injunction request by R-CALF in a case involving the beef checkoff. The injunction would stop the Department of Agriculture from allowing the Montana State Beef Council to use checkoff dollars to fund its advertising campaigns. 

Meat industry publication Meatingplace reports the ruling relates to a lawsuit R-CALF filed against the national beef checkoff program in May. The lawsuit alleges it is unconstitutional for the government to allow private beef councils to keep and spend one-half of all checkoff dollars to pay for the beef council’s private speech when R-CALF members disagree with such speech. The court must now conduct an independent review and has 14 days to respond.

R-CALF USA filed a lawsuit on May 2 against the USDA and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack alleging the use of government mandated beef checkoff money by private beef councils fund private speech some producers oppose.

“The private speech our members disagree with is the beef council’s message that foreign beef is the same as, and is just as good as, beef produced exclusively from cattle born, raised, and slaughtered in the United States of America,” wrote Bill Bullard, CEO of R-CALF USA, in a letter to members.

CLICK HERE to read more

 

Photo:  Wikipedia commons



Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x