The Scott+Scott law firm has filed a class action lawsuit in federal district court in Chicago on behalf of R-CALF USA and four cattle-feeding ranchers from Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Wyoming. The suit alleges the nation’s four largest beef packers violated U.S. antitrust laws, the Packers and Stockyards Act, and the Commodity Exchange Act by unlawfully depressing prices paid to …
R-CALF Praises Introduction of Beef Checkoff Reform Legislation
Legislation reintroduced last week seeks to reform the beef checkoff program. The Voluntary Check-Off Program Participation Act, reintroduced by Senate Republicans Mike Lee of Utah and Rand Paul of Kentucky, would “allow producers to vote freely with their pocketbooks regarding whether they are individually satisfied with the checkoff’s performance,” according to R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard. R-CALF applauded the reintroduction …
R-CALF Looking for COOL in NAFTA
R-CALF is hopeful the details of the U.S.-Mexico announcement as part of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) negotiations will include country-of-origin meat labeling. R-CALF, a long-time supporter of COOL, in a statement by its CEO said: “We hope that a further release of details will show that COOL will be required for Mexican beef and beef from Mexican …
NCBA Calls R-CALF Effort an Attack on Beef Checkoff
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) alleges that R-CALF (Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund) is attacking the beef checkoff. Last week, R-CALF asked for an injunction against collection of checkoff funds be expanded to 13 more states. The injunction currently only applies to Montana. In a statement, R-CALF says its members in other states “object to being required to turn over their …
Court Sides Against R-CALF in COOL Dispute
A U.S. District Court this week said alleged financial harm to U.S. beef producers was “fairly traceable” to the Department of Agriculture. A lawsuit, filed by R-CALF USA, alleged that USDA was unlawfully allowing imported beef to be both sold to consumers without a country of origin label and sold to consumers with a “Product of USA” label, even if …