Is the OFF Act a Trojan Horse for Extremist Groups?
Lawmakers last week introduced the Opportunities for Fairness in Farming, or OFF Act, aimed at reforming the federal checkoff system. National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s CEO, Colin Woodall responds.“The concern is that this is not about the (Beef) Checkoff. It is actually about animal activists attacking us as beef producers. The reason why I say that is when you look at the provisions of the OFF Act, the bill that was put in place or introduced, rather, by Senator Cory Booker, who is a Democrat vegan from New Jersey, and Senator Mike Lee, who is a meat-eating Republican from Utah, you can quite clearly see they do not understand how the checkoff works.”
For example, the OFF Act says Checkoff money should not be used for lobbying. However, Woodall says that’s not how Checkoff money is used. In addition, the OFF Act says the financials of the checkoff should be published so that producers can look at them. Which is, you guessed it, already offered. All you’d have to do is go to the Cattlemen’s Beef Board website to look at their financials.
“So, you have to step back and say, ‘If all this stuff is already happening, why are they doing it?’ Because it is an attack on the checkoff and the real underlying support here are animal activist groups.”