Reps.Mace, Titus, and Sens. Lee, Booker, Paul, Warren, and Gillibrand Introduce Commodity Checkoff Programs reform bill

In Washington, groups including Animal Wellness Action, the Organization for Competitive Markets (OCM), and the National Dairy Producers Organization  applauded U.S. Reps. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., and Dina Titus, D-Nev., and U.S. Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, Cory Booker, D-N.J., Rand Paul, R-Ky., Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., for introducing the bicameral, bipartisan, Opportunities for Fairness in Farming (OFF) Act. The measure is designed to reform and bring accountability and transparency to reform the USDA’s Commodity Checkoff Programs that have, according to supporters, “long been plagued by scandal after scandal for misappropriation of funds, lack of transparency, and misusing farmer and rancher tax dollars and was first introduced in the 115th Congress. Proponents of the OFF Act argue that national livestock trade associations work against the best interests of rank-and-file family farmers and work to benefit the industrial agriculture and international processors.  “ The OFF Act would amend the authorizing checkoff laws to ensure the programs cannot contract with organizations that engage in lobbying, conflicts of interest, or anticompetitive activities that harm other commodities. It would also require that they publish all budgets and disbursements of funds for the purposes of public inspection and submit to periodic audits by the USDA Inspector General. The measure is supported by more than 250,000 farmers and ranchers across America in an unlikely coalition of allies that include OCM, Animal Wellness Action, NDPO, the American Grass-fed Association, the National Taxpayers Union, and the National Farmers Union to name a few.

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