Minnesota farmers battle Washington insiders over checkoff vote call onPresident Bush and USDA Secretary Veneman to abide by majority vote

Minnesota farmers battle
Washington insiders over checkoff vote;
call on President Bush and USDA Secretary Veneman to abide by majority vote

Contact: Grant Kreiger, Kerkhoven, Minn., 320-264-8021
Mike McMahon, LSP, 612-722-6377

8/1/01
Yard signs are popping up across rural Minnesota and other Midwestern states in August—this time after an election, not before one.

Reading "Secretary of Agriculture Veneman: Our Votes Count! Dump the Pork Tax!" the red, white and blue signs are the latest in the grassroots effort to end the mandatory pork checkoff. The nation's hog farmers voted to terminate the pork tax (paid by hog farmers on every hog sold) 53% to 47% in a government-conducted referendum last September. The vote totals were announced by the USDA in early January, and the process to end the mandatory pork checkoff was begun.

However, immediately after the hog farmers' verdict was announced, the chief beneficiary of the $50 million per year tax, the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC), sued in federal court to require hog farmers to keep paying the tax. At the same time, the NPPC's Chief Executive Officer, Al Tank, was busy serving on President-elect George W. Bush's agriculture transition team.

Then, on Feb. 28, the Bush Administration's Secretary of Agriculture, Ann Veneman, announced that she had decided to throw out the hog farmers' vote and keep the mandatory pork checkoff in place. Subsequently it was disclosed that top USDA personnel had been meeting behind closed doors with the NPPC, seeking a way to keep the pork tax in place.

Hog farmers with the Campaign for Family Farms, the group that led the fight to end the mandatory pork checkoff, have counter-sued in court. They argue that Secretary Veneman does not have the authority to negate the hog farmers' vote, which was conducted under federal rules clearly stating, "The Pork Checkoff Program would be terminated if a majority of producers and importers voting in the referendum favor termination."

The Campaign for Family Farms is also taking its case to the American people. The Land Stewardship Project leads the Campaign in Minnesota.

"Ultimately, this pork checkoff fight is about who rules America—the people, or the corporations and their lobbyists," said Land Stewardship Project member and Kerkhoven, Minn., hog farmer Grant Krieger.

"Independent hog farmers won a democratic vote to end the pork tax, even though the NPPC out-spent us by literally millions of dollars. Now the NPPC is using its inside influence in Washington to violate democracy and keep the checkoff money rolling into their bank accounts. We won't stand for it, and no American who believes in democracy should."

Another version of the signs going up around the region reads, "Democracy Counts! Dump the Pork Tax!" Signs are available from the Land Stewardship Project by calling 612-722 6377.

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Photo of Grant Krieger Land Stewardship Project member Grant Krieger sent a message to U. S. Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman with a sign he recently posted on hishog farm near Kerkhoven, Minn. U.S. hog farmers voted 53% to 47% to endthe mandatory pork checkoff, but Secretary Veneman has taken action torequire hog farmers to keep paying the tax. Signs like this are beingdistributed across Minnesota by members of the Land Stewardship Projectand the Campaign for Family Farms. For more information, call 612-722-6377.

To read more about the Pork Checkoff Vote, see these releated press releases:

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Minnesota farmers battle Washington insiders over checkoff vote; call on President Bush and USDA Secretary Veneman to abide by majority vote

Minnesota farmers battle
Washington insiders over checkoff vote;
call on President Bush and USDA Secretary Veneman to abide by majority vote