Post by Logan on May 4, 2016 4:32:15 GMT -6
Marketing fees collected from U.S. ranchers are being unconstitutionally spent, according to a Billings-based cattle group suing the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund, United Stockgrowers of America, or R-CALF USA, filed a federal lawsuit Monday contending that the beef checkoff fees, a mandatory fee of one dollar per animal collected to promote beef, is being misspent.
Last year, ranchers paid $80 million into the checkoff system.
The gist of the lawsuit is that the government-collected fee is given to private groups that don’t specifically promote U.S beef, but rather beef from anywhere. The practice is offensive to R-CALF members for two reasons, said Bill Bullard, the group’s executive.
First, R-CALF believes marketing funded by U.S. cattlemen should promote U.S. beef. Second, R-CALF contends it’s unconstitutional for the government to fund the speech of a private group.
Read more: billingsgazette.com/news/ranch-group-sues-usda-over-marketing-program/article_dd259cd9-7524-5939-98f3-41baaad786a6.html
The Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund, United Stockgrowers of America, or R-CALF USA, filed a federal lawsuit Monday contending that the beef checkoff fees, a mandatory fee of one dollar per animal collected to promote beef, is being misspent.
Last year, ranchers paid $80 million into the checkoff system.
The gist of the lawsuit is that the government-collected fee is given to private groups that don’t specifically promote U.S beef, but rather beef from anywhere. The practice is offensive to R-CALF members for two reasons, said Bill Bullard, the group’s executive.
First, R-CALF believes marketing funded by U.S. cattlemen should promote U.S. beef. Second, R-CALF contends it’s unconstitutional for the government to fund the speech of a private group.
Read more: billingsgazette.com/news/ranch-group-sues-usda-over-marketing-program/article_dd259cd9-7524-5939-98f3-41baaad786a6.html