The Organization for Competitive Markets is calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture to release information related to an audit of the federal Beef Checkoff Program. OCM Executive Director Joe Maxwell says the USDA is not following the directive of a Government Accountability Office report that called for the agency to increase its transparency and oversight of federal checkoff programs.
He says the Ag Department is withholding a massive amount of information on the beef checkoff and failing to disclose it to the public.
Maxwell says his group is seeking a legislative resolution to the problem.
OCM is also involved in a lawsuit against the USDA to force them to comply with a Freedom of Information Act request on government audit documents and financial records to show how beef checkoff funds are being spent.
