They also point out that today's U.S. cattle industry is radically different than it was when the checkoff program was put into place, with more imported beef and greater meatpacker concentration. "Now we are paying the advertising bill for four major meatpacking plants that are able to import beef and source it from cheaper countries and fool our consumers," Jones said. The petition has created a schism in the livestock industry between those who support the checkoff and those who don't. Another way to look at it is that the checkoff also funds research into beef safety and the development of new beef products, he said. "Consumers pay a few pennies more, but it is a safer product, a better quality product," Kaiser said.

Source: Daily Sun September 04, 2021 13:07 UTC