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The heat is on Ag Secretary to overturn biased decision on pork checkoff referendum
CONTACT: Paul Sobocinski, hog farmer, Land Stewardship Project, 507-342-2323
Land Stewardship Project office: 612-722-6377
8/10/00
The pressure continues to build on U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman to overturn an Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) decision to allow the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) to request ballots for their supporters; in clear violation of the referendum rules.
Earlier this week, U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone, U.S. Representative David Minge, and U.S. Representative Jim Oberstar raised serious concerns about the flawed decision by AMS.
Background
On July 24, July 28, and July 31, USDA Administrator Kathleen Merrigan and other staff at AMS told representatives of the Campaign for Family Farms (CFF) that third parties—even the spouse or parent of another producer—could not request a ballot for another producer. CFF representatives were told on all three occasions that each individual producer needed to request an absentee ballot for themselves.
In the late afternoon of Friday, Aug. 4, the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) of USDA caved in to pressure from the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC), deciding to allow the NPPC to request ballots on behalf of their supporters, rather than follow the referendum rules which require each individual hog farmer to request their own ballot.
Minnesota hog farmer Paul Sobocinski, a member of the Land Stewardship Project and spokesperson for the Campaign for Family Farms, said, “Merrigan’s decision is blatantly biased in favor of the NPPC’s efforts to maintain the mandatory pork checkoff. AMS has demonstrated that there is one set of rules for independent producers who oppose the mandatory checkoff, and another for the NPPC. AMS’ decision threatens to undermine the integrity of the referendum, and of USDA’s supervision of the pork checkoff program, irretrievably.”
The Land Stewardship Project is a grassroots membership farm and rural organization based in Minnesota and is a founding member of the Campaign for Family Farms.
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To read more about the Pork Checkoff Vote, see these releated press releases:
April 10, 2001: Statement regarding NPPC's attempt to curtail opposition to pork tax
April 3, 2001: Farmers stand up for democracy, protest pork tax
March 27, 2001: Facts about the Pork Checkoff Vote
February 20, 2001: Hog Farmers Call on Veneman to Stop Delaying Pork Checkoff Termination
January 31, 2001: Hog Farmers Attack Proposed New Mandatory Pork Tax
January 11, 2001: Hog Farmers End Mandatory Pork Checkoff
January 4, 2001: Glickman Refuses to Announce Referendum Results
December 1, 2000: Hog farmers monitor counting of pork checkoff votes
September 19, 2000: Campaign for Family Farms Urges Hog Farmers to vote NO on Checkoff Referendum
August 10, 2000: The heat is on Ag Secretary to overturn biased decision on pork checkoff referendum
August 2, 2000: NPPC Attempts to Rig Pork Checkoff Vote
June 1, 2000: The Real Story: Hog Farmers Win Right to Vote Fair and Square
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©Land Stewardship Project, 2001
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