Archive for News Releases
Federal Judge Bars Involuntary Collection of Montana Beef Checkoff Tax
For Immediate Release: Thursday, June 22, 2017 Contact: R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard, 406-252-2516, r-calfusa@r-calfusa.com Aidan O’Shea, Public Justice, 202-861-5240, aoshea@publicjustice.net Federal Judge Bars Involuntary Collection of Montana Beef Checkoff Tax Decision affirms independent ranchers’ argument that funds benefit corporations in violation First Amendment Great Falls, Mont. – Yesterday, the…
United States Farmers File Suit to Require Country-of-Origin Labeling on Meat Products
For Immediate Release: Monday, June 19, 2017 Contact: Aidan O’Shea, Public Justice, aoshea@publicjustice.net, (202) 861-5240 Bill Bullard, R-CALF USA, r-calfusa@r-calfusa.com, (406) 252-2516 Scott Nielsen, Cattle Producers of Washington, rsnielsen@plixtel.com, (509) 675-2608 The Ranchers-Cattlemen Legal Action Fund, United Stockgrowers of America (R-CALF USA) and Cattle Producers of Washington (CPoW) have filed…
R-CALF USA to USTR: Make Seven Improvements to NAFTA
Billings, Mont. – In comprehensive comments submitted yesterday to the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), R-CALF USA states the 24-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) benefited transnational meatpackers at the expense of the majority of U.S. cattlemen, meaning all those who sell exclusively U.S.-born and -raised…
R-CALF USA Calls Cargill and JBS Bad Actors in Comments Supporting Secretary Perdue’s Competitive Injury Rule
Billings, Mont. – In comments submitted today to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA), R-CALF USA accuses the nation’s second- and third-largest beef packers, JBS and Cargill, respectively, of engaging in improper conduct that has harmed family farmers and ranchers. This improper conduct,…
R-CALF USA Seeks U.S. Probe into JBS Corruption Scandal
Billings, Mont. – Today, R-CALF USA sent a comprehensive, 11-page request to President Trump, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue for a full investigation and strict antitrust enforcement action in the wake of the unfolding corruption charges against JBS. Citing news reports…
Why and How Mandatory COOL Should Be Reinstated Through the NAFTA Renegotiations
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Congress passed the mandatory country of origin labeling (COOL) law in 2002 to provide consumers with information as to the origins of their food. However, it was not until early 2013 that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) finally implemented COOL in a manner that accurately distinguished beef…
R-CALF USA to Discuss State of U.S. Cattle Industry in Ohio
Billings, Mont.-The statewide Ohio cattle association, Buckeye Quality Beef Association, will host a public meeting featuring R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard to explain the precarious state of the U.S. cattle industry and offer solutions with which to strengthen it. There is no cost to attend the meeting and it is…
R-CALF USA Launches Public Petition to Ban Brazilian Beef Until COOL Is Reinstated
Billings, Mont. – In a public We the People petition launched yesterday and promoted on its Website, Facebook and Twitter pages, R-CALF USA seeks 100,000 signatures during the next 30 days to call on the Trump Administration to ban imports of Brazilian beef until all beef sold in U.S. supermarkets is…
R-CALF USA Statement on Delay of GIPSA Rule
Billings, Mont. – R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard issued the following statement following the two Federal Register notices published today that 1) extended for six months (to October 19, 2017) the effective date of the interim final rule that clarifies that victims of unlawful packer conduct would not have to…