Pork Vote Downs Promotion Order

January 12, 2001

Pork producers voted last year to end 12 years of advertising and promoting pork products, Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman said Thursday, announcing he would order the program terminated. Pork producers, however, said they would seek a court injunction against ending the program.

"The results of the referendum conducted between Aug. 18 and Sept. 21, 2000, are 14,396 votes for continuing the checkoff program and 15,951 votes, a majority, against continuing the checkoff program," said Glickman. "This outcome demonstrates that the pork checkoff program does not have the support of the producers it serves and therefore cannot fulfill its stated purpose. Accordingly, I am directing USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service to prepare and issue a final rule to terminate the order and the program conducted under it."

Craig Jarolimek, National Pork Producers Council president, said, "We are deeply disappointed and very concerned by USDA's announcement regarding the pork checkoff referendum. Instead of a sincere attempt to capture the will of the majority of legitimate pork producers about their checkoff, USDA let political motivation decide the fate of one the most successful commodity programs in American agriculture."

Jarolimek, of Forest River, ND, added, "USDA unequivocally understands the negative impact termination of the pork checkoff will have on every pork producer in this country. To this end, a group including concerned independent producers, state associations and NPPC, is uniting to file for an injunction to overturn this decision."

Karl Johnson, co-chair of the Vote Yes Task Force, said producers repeatedly cited examples of "flaws in the referendum voting process" such as giving out the wrong voting materials, failing to post lists of producers who had requested absentee ballots and failing to post lists of producers who had voted in person, "all of which resulted in the disqualification of the voter without their knowledge. Equally as disturbing, other producers were allowed to cast both absentee and in-person ballots or were allowed to cast ballots in violation of referendum rules."

Approximately $54 million was collected through the pork checkoff in 2000.

Country singer and Farm Aid President Willie Nelson hailed the announced results and said the NPPC was joined in its support of the checkoff by "the corporate concentration of the pork industry and the industry's largest and most influential promoter of factory farming."

"The pork check-off was always about the big guys swallowing up the little guys," said Nelson. "This victory illustrates the determination and power of America's family farmers in their fight against corporate control of farming. Family farmers are taking the lead to respond to consumers' demand for family farm-grown food."

The vote "provides momentum and strengthens the position of farmers and farm organizations who are gearing up for a tough fight over the next farm bill," said Nelson. "The next farm bill will either contribute to the continued demise of family farming, or it will help turn around the disastrous policies of the current Freedom to Farm bill which has forced thousands of farmers off their land. Anyone who is concerned about where their food comes from and how it is grown has a stake in the new farm bill."