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WORC in the News |
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Western Organization of Resource Councils
Statement of Linda Rauser for the FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 25, 2001 "We applaud the United States Supreme Court's 6-3 decision today in United States v. United Foods striking down the mushroom checkoff program. Today's decision will mean the end of the beef and pork checkoff programs and other undemocratic, unfair programs that force farmers and ranchers to subsidize speech with which they fundamentally disagree. "We joined in a friend-of-the-court brief in this case because we believe the beef and pork checkoff programs, like the mushroom program struck down today, violate the First Amendment free speech rights of cattle and hog producers. Those programs not only violate our right to free speech, as the Court said today, but they also force hog farmers and cattle ranchers to fund our own destruction. They are taxation without representation. "The beef checkoff program taxes all beef producers on every head of cattle sold, in order to fund programs almost exclusively carried out by the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA). The NCBA uses those funds, directly and indirectly, to promote and carry out programs and policies that favor agribusiness corporations and erode the bargaining power of family farmers and ranchers. "It is unfortunate that producers have had to defend our rights in court against these undemocratic programs. Hog farmers fought for and won a vote to end the pork checkoff, but that decision was nullified by Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman, forcing hog producers into court to defend their vote. Beef producers submitted 145,000 signatures on petitions demanding a vote on continuation of the beef checkoff program, but USDA has denied us our right to a vote, and that case is also in court. "Today's decision will help family farmers and ranchers put an end to checkoff assessments that tax them to pay for programs with which they disagree and which operate against their best interests." Linda Rauser is Chairperson of the Western Organization
of Resource Councils. 6/01 j |
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