Hog Farmers Call on Veneman to
Stop Delaying Pork Checkoff Termination

CONTACT: Monica Kahout, 320-523-1516, Land Stewardship Project
Land Stewardship Project, 612-722-6377
Mark McDowell, 641-456-4624, Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement
Rhonda Perry, 573-449-1336, Missouri Rural Crisis Center


2/20/01
Hog farmer members of the Campaign for Family Farms (CFF) today criticized USDA Secretary Ann Veneman for failing to complete the termination of the mandatory pork checkoff program, and charged that Veneman is letting the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) and other checkoff-funded commodity groups run her administration. They called on Veneman to publish the final rule terminating the checkoff tax, and demanded that she immediately remove NPPC CEO Al Tank from the Bush Administration’s USDA transition team. The Minnesota-based Land Stewardship Project is a founding member of the Campaign for Family Farms.

USDA is involved in a Michigan lawsuit that was initiated by NPPC after it was announced Jan. 11 that hog farmers had voted to end the mandatory pork checkoff program by a margin of 53 percent to 47 percent. Over 30,000 producers voted in the national referendum that was held in August and September. The official rules of the pork checkoff referendum state "Assessment collection under the Order would be terminated not later than 30 days after the date it is determined that termination of the Order is favored by a majority of the producers and importers voting in the referendum."

A Jan. 31 ruling by the U.S. District Court in Michigan clearly allows the USDA to issue a final rule terminating the program at any time, as long as the termination does not take effect until 60 days after a preliminary injunction hearing scheduled for March 16. The USDA's publishing of the termination rule in the Federal Register is the next step required to implement the decision made by hog farmers to end the checkoff. Hog farmers have been calling and writing Veneman over the past three weeks urging her to publish the final rule. So far, she has refused. Veneman even cancelled a meeting that was confirmed to take place in her office on Feb. 28 with hog farmer members of the Campaign for Family Farms. Until Thursday, Feb. 15, USDA staff were telling hog farmers that the USDA was prohibited by the courts from issuing the termination order, more than two weeks after the Jan. 31 ruling allowing them to do so.

"By failing to publish the final rule terminating the mandatory pork checkoff, Secretary Veneman is saying that the Bush Administration doesn't want to cut taxes that support their inside-the-beltway friends like the NPPC," said Monica Kahout, a Minnesota hog farmer and member of the Land Stewardship Project. "The pork checkoff is a failed and unpopular tax, voted down by the majority of people who pay it. Read our lips, President Bush. Cut this tax."

"Secretary Veneman has turned her back on us. Thousands of pork producers cast their ballots knowing that the program would end within thirty days of the vote announcement if a majority voted to terminate, and that is exactly what happened. Veneman's inaction means we have to continue paying $1 million a week," said Mark McDowell, an Iowa hog farmer and member of Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement. "We don't support the pork checkoff tax. Veneman needs to terminate the program now."

Missouri hog farmer and Missouri Rural Crisis Center member Rhonda Perry agreed: "The problem is, Veneman is listening more to NPPC lobbyists than to the people. Al Tank, the executive director of NPPC, is a close adviser to Veneman and sits on her transition team. Veneman needs to fire him immediately and terminate the pork checkoff program."

Member groups of the Campaign for Family Farms include Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, Land Stewardship Project, Missouri Rural Crisis Center and Illinois Stewardship Alliance.

 ©Land Stewardship Project, 2001


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