Washington D.C. - Today, Rep. Mace and Rep. Titus introduced a new bill aimed at reforming checkoff programs under the US Department of Agriculture, the Opportunities for Fairness in Farming Act, or OFF Act.
This legislation is bicameral with support from Senators Mike Lee, Cory Booker, Rand Paul, Elizabeth Warren, and Kristen Gillibrand.
Checkoff programs are mandatory participation programs funded through compulsory fees on producers of various agricultural products, such as milk, eggs, beef, and more. While some of these programs were established by Congress, others were established under the Secretary of Agriculture's authority.
Despite their widespread use, these programs and their associated boards have faced criticism for a lack of transparency, apparent conflicts of interest, misuse of their funding, anticompetitive behavior, and other related issues.
“We need to make sure that these programs are operating in the best interest of our farmers and the agricultural industry as a whole,”says Rep. Mace.“This bill will help to address the transparency issues raised and ensure that checkoff programs are fulfilling their intended purpose.”
“With too many Nevadans bearing the brunt of higher food prices, big ag corporations should be working to keep costs low, not lining their own pockets by promoting anticompetitive practices,”said Rep. Titus.“I’m pushing this bipartisan legislation to increase federal oversight, prevent conflicts of interest, and stop ag lobbyists from squeezing small producers out of business.”
Specifically, the OFF Act would:
To ensure further transparency, the bill requires the publication of checkoff program budgets and expenditures. Additionally, periodic audits of compliance with the act by the USDA Inspector General will be required, and a GAO audit of checkoff board compliance.
This bipartisan, effort is supported by a number of leading organizations:
“We applaud Reps. Mace and Titus for their tireless work and leadership on the Opportunities for Fairness in Farming Act,”said Marty Irby, executive director at Animal Wellness Action.“USDA’s commodity checkoff programs remain under fire because of their lack of transparency, misuse of funds, and damaging anti-competitive practices that have bankrupted millions of American farmers.”
“American family farmers are in peril and today, every cent counts,”said Taylor Haynes, president of the Organization for Competitive Markets.“If we’re going to be forced to pay into USDA’s checkoff programs then the very least we should expect is transparency, accountability, and oversight of our hard-earned dollars, and the OFF Act accomplishes just that.”
“The OFF Act was first introduced in the 115th Congress and here we are in the 118th Congress still working for transparency and accountability to reform the USDA’s commodity checkoff programs,”said Deborah Mills chairwomen of the National Dairy Producers Organization. “This speaks volumes about what frustrates producers who are paying into checkoff programs. The recipients of the checkoff dollars are the greatest proponents of maintaining the status quo. Producers are being denied the basic right to have their questions about their investment answered.”
“I don’t want my hard-earned dollars funneled to a quasi-governmental organization that works against my best interest and represents industrial agriculture’s continued movement toward the monopolization of farming,”said Will Harris, past president of the American Grassfed Association and proprietor of White Oak Pastures.“We’ve farmed the same land in Georgia since 1866, and I want to ensure that future generations are able to continue to do the same.”