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Campaign for Family Farms Urges Hog Farmers to vote NO on Checkoff Referendum: In-person voting begins this week
CONTACT: Land Stewardship Project, 612-722-6377 or 507-342-2323
9/19/00
The Campaign for Family Farms, a coalition of family farm organizations and independent pork producers, is urging hog farmers to participate in the referendum to end the mandatory pork checkoff. The Campaign urges those who have not voted absentee to vote in-person on Sept. 19, 20 and 21 at their local Farm Services Agency office. Hog farmers who have requested absentee ballots but who have not returned them must do so by Sept. 21.
More than 20,000 hog farmers have joined the Campaign for Family Farms in the effort to end this mandatory pork tax. Since the mandatory checkoff began, the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) has collected $500,000,000, two out of three hog farmers have gone out of business, hog farmers' share of the retail dollar has plummeted, and margins have become paper thin. NPPC has supported vertical integration and packer ownership of livestock and has blocked legislation that will make markets open and fair for independent family farms.
"While the mandatory pork checkoff was supposed to increase producer profitability, it has actually helped to rip the bottom out of the hog market and support increasing packer control of the industry," said Wabasso pork producer Paul Sobocinski, a member of the Land Stewardship Project. "We need a voluntary system that allows producers to direct promotion or research dollars to fit their own production and marketing strategies. We are urging producers to vote no and end the mandatory pork checkoff."
The Land Stewardship Project is the Minnesota affiliate of the Campaign for Family Farms.
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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