Erroneous Reports Ignore Importer Contribution To Beef Checkoff
CENTENNIAL, COLO. (Dec. 10, 2004) - With media interest piqued as the Livestock Marketing Association’s challenge to the beef checkoff reached the U.S. Supreme Court this week, a factual error that ignores importer contributions to the Beef Checkoff Program emerged in a syndicated media channel and multiplied exponentially.
In fact, importers of beef and beef products to the U.S. do pay assessments to the Beef Checkoff Program, amounting to more than $8.3 million in Fiscal 2004 alone. And since the current checkoff program began in 1986, importers have paid a total of more than $127.6 million in assessments.
"It’s disappointing to see all of these inaccurate media reports that importers aren’t paying into the program when we’ve been doing our part since the very start of this checkoff," said Beef Board member Laurie Bryant, an importer from Virginia. "For future reference, it’s important that people understand that both U.S. producers and importers pay into the program at an equal rate, on the tenet that if demand for beef, in general, increases, all producers and importers benefit equally, too."
The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case challenging the constitutionality of the national Beef Checkoff Program on Wednesday, and a decision is expected by June 30, 2005, at the latest.
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The Beef Checkoff Program was established as part of the 1985 Farm Bill. The checkoff assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle, in addition to a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products. States retain up to 50 cents on the dollar and forward the other 50 cents per head to the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board, which oversees the national checkoff program, subject to USDA approval. The checkoff assessment became mandatory when the program was approved by 79 percent of producers in a 1988 national referendum vote. Checkoff revenues may be used for promotion, education and research programs to improve the marketing climate for beef.
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