A vote could come as soon as today by a working committee set up to reform the Beef Check Off. R CALF CEO Bill Bullard says R CALF’s representative was excluded from participating in the original meeting of that group. He says now that committee wants at $ 2 dollar increase in the beef check off.
Bullard says a recent high court ruling defined the beef check off as a tax and now the working committee is spreading misinformation about what can be done with that program.
He says once the working group approves the proposal it goes to the Secretary of Agriculture for full approval. He says his group is encouraging the Secretary to reject the plan and if he doesn’t they’ll go to Congress for a remedy.
Bullard says check off dollars need to be used only for research, marketing and promotion of beef.
Members of the working group include NCBA, NFU, LMA, American Farm Bureau, U.S. Cattlemen’s Association, American National Cattlewomen and National Livestock Producers Association.