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Stop Corruption in Dairy, Egg and Meat Marketing

Stop Corruption in Dairy, Egg and Meat Marketing

This alert is no longer active, but here for reference. Animals still need your help.

Did you know that a Supreme Court ruling on the beef checkoff program concluded that “Beef, It’s What’s for Dinner,” has effectively become government speech?

Checkoff programs are a form of generic (or “brand-free”) advertising funded by a collective agricultural industry such as dairy. Well-known advertisements such as “Got Milk?” or “Beef, It’s What’s for Dinner” are the result of these programs.

Current U.S. law makes it compulsory for agricultural producers to fund federal checkoff programs, and because it’s compulsory, the government has a say in administering, overseeing, and approving the programs. This however, is the problem.

For decades, the government has had a vested interest in marketing the consumption of animal products, while also maintaining the responsibility of writing public health policies (such as U.S. dietary guidelines) and enforcing animal welfare laws. Even the agriculture industry points to the "collusive and illegal relationships between checkoff boards and lobbying organizations" and "conflicts of interest, misspending, and other abuses rampant in our beef checkoff program."

Checkoff programs spend a whopping $557 million each year to encourage us to eat animals and animal products. The price of this massive marketing program is passed onto customers, completing a never-ending cycle funded by its victims. 

This conflict of interest has been allowed to continue for far too long.

We have not one but two golden opportunities to break the strangle-hold of multi-million dollar programs that encourage people to eat animals and animal products, and end a cycle of harm that is rampant with abuse.

Two new bipartisan bills have been introduced to stop this: the Opportunities for Fairness in Farming (OFF) Act (H.R. 1753/S. 741) and the Voluntary Checkoff Program Participation Act (H.R. 1752/S. 740).

Together, these two bills have the power to enforce much-needed transparency and abolish compulsorily funding –  However, neither of these reforms will stand a chance unless we act now and vocalize our support!

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