tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9437268.post1879346649878734967..comments2024-02-03T07:12:06.620-05:00Comments on U.S. Food Policy: Checkoff program supporters seek to shield checkoff boards from freedom-of-information scrutinyusfoodpolicyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17098394318544229984noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9437268.post-83431857483383313962016-05-04T09:07:09.483-04:002016-05-04T09:07:09.483-04:00Many leading commodity industries have a pair of a...Many leading commodity industries have a pair of associations: (a) a government-established checkoff program that taxes producers using the force of law, and (b) a private-sector trade association that is funded by a combination of voluntary individual dues plus earnings from contract work for the checkoff program.<br /><br />For example, the National Pork Board (NPB) is a checkoff program, the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) is a trade association, and the NPPC makes millions of dollars each year in contract work for the NPB (plus it gets $3million each year in payments for the "other white meat" slogan, which is a whole other story). Although checkoff money may not be used for lobbying, the NPPC is legally allowed to lobby for checkoff board interests, and does so vigorously.<br /><br />The Beef Board is a checkoff program, two trade associations are the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) and R-Calf. The NCBA makes tens of millions of dollars each year in contract work for the Beef Board (and is a huge lobbyist for checkoff board interests), while R-Calf does not get checkoff money and does not lobby on behalf of checkoff board interests.<br /><br />Each of the trade associations that lobby by proxy on behalf of checkoff board interests also spread the wealth among a large number of other players, including researchers, who typically do not loudly support checkoff interests, but who are generally discrete, polite, and reluctant to say anything critical.usfoodpolicyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17098394318544229984noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9437268.post-57211300023373903022016-05-04T07:33:49.692-04:002016-05-04T07:33:49.692-04:00What groups support this kind of legislation? Obvi...What groups support this kind of legislation? Obviously the checkoff programs themselves favor this outcome, but who else has skin in the game?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9437268.post-65298326161168148062016-05-01T13:18:58.336-04:002016-05-01T13:18:58.336-04:00Anonymous makes an excellent point. The freedom-of...Anonymous makes an excellent point. The freedom-of-information rules should apply equally to checkoff programs just as they already do for organic certification programs.<br /><br />An organic farmer already has the right to file a FOIA request for information about USDA's organic certification program. For example, when people are nominated for the National Organic Standards Board, USDA already informs them that their nomination materials are subject to FOIA rules and may be made public subject to a proper request.<br /><br />If an Iowa pork producer, who is forced by the government to pay a mandatory assessment to a checkoff board, seeks information about the operation of that checkoff board, he ought to have the right to do likewise.usfoodpolicyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17098394318544229984noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9437268.post-778773717141893002016-04-30T18:21:27.593-04:002016-04-30T18:21:27.593-04:00Likewise we should have free and open access to al...Likewise we should have free and open access to all information and data relating to certified organics, from farmers to retailers to consumers, since it is a USDA supported program. By the same reasoning we also should have free and open access to all information and data relating to anyone and any entity with any affiliation whatsoever to SARE grants and outcomes of those grants at any time -- another U.S. government supported program, you see. Witch hunts should definitely be equal opportunity, no?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com