Veneman admits ignorance on pork tax decision

Minnesota farmers join lawsuit to uphold checkoff vote

Last fall, more than 30,000 hog farmers voted 53 percent to 47 percent in a nationwide referendum to end the mandatory pork tax, which is assessed against hog farmers on each hog they sell. Hog farmers voted down the pork tax because it is undemocratic, hasn't benefited them economically, and is being used to promote factory farms and corporate concentration in
agriculture.

During the USDA sponsored press conference, Veneman said she was unfamiliar with the reports issued by the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) and the USDA's Office of Inspector General (OIG).

In September 2000, the GAO investigation concluded that former Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman acted within his statutory authority when he held a referendum to terminate the pork tax.

On January 10, 2001, the OIG issued a report on their investigation into the National Pork Producers Council's (NPPC) claims of voting irregularities in the referendum. The OIG report dismissed the NPPC¹s specific claims of voting irregularities and concluded, "after our review of the information and interviews with [government] staff, we concluded that there were
controls in place governing the conduct of the referendum...we found no evidence that the controls did not work as intended. Thus we have no basis for further inquiry."

This week the Campaign for Family Farms filed a federal lawsuit against Secretary Veneman challenging her decision, which overturned the democratic referendum and required hog farmers to continue paying the failed and unpopular tax. The lawsuit asks the court to order USDA to end the pork checkoff and prohibit the collection of the $54 million a year pork tax.

"We're appalled Veneman made such a monumental decision without even looking at these two reports. It smacks of incompetence," said Land Stewardship Project Policy Program Director Mark Shultz. "Veneman claims that her
decision was based on legal concerns and 'insurmountable flaws' surrounding the vote—yet these issues were thoroughly addressed and dispelled by the two government reports."

The Campaign for Family Farms is the multi-state coalition that has led the fight to end the mandatory pork tax over the last three years. Member groups of the Campaign for Family Farms are: Land Stewardship Project., Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, Missouri Rural Crisis Center and Illinois Stewardship Alliance.

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