For Immediate Release

Contact: Nadia Schilling, nadia@idausa.org, 415 448 0048

Urgent Campaign Launched to Prevent Pork, Egg and Beef Industry Cover Up

San Rafael, CA (May 23, 2016) – International animal protection organization, In Defense of Animals, has called on citizens for urgent action to keep animal agriculture’s shady lobbying tactics open to public scrutiny.

In a shocking act of collusion, big agricultural commodity groups have successfully lobbied to exempt their activities from the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) via a provision in the 2017 Agricultural Appropriations Act (H.R. 5054). An email to the House subcommittee obtained by The Guardian revealed that several big ag organizations including the United Egg Producers, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, and the National Pork Producers, argued that their research and promotions programs, known as “checkoff programs”, are not federal and should not be subjected to FOIA. The language of the email appears almost word-for-word on page 34 of the Act.

“Animal agriculture is blatantly attempting to shield its shady dealings from citizens, media, and consumer protection organizations, and to bypass citizen protection laws”, says Dr. Marilyn Kroplick, President of In Defense of Animals. “Don’t let big agriculture take away your rights – sign our alert and urge your representative to take action www.idausa.org/BigAgCoverUp.”

Checkoff programs, which are responsible for advertising campaigns such as “Got Milk” and “The Other White Meat”, have a twenty year history of abuse. These programs spend more than $500 million per year promoting specific agricultural commodities. As early as 1997, the National Pork Council used checkoff funds to spy on activist groups, and in 2015 the American Egg Board illegally organized a campaign against a vegan competitor, Just Mayo. Just last year, a lawsuit by the Humane Society alleged that $60 million of funds were used on illegal activities. All of these wrongdoings were exposed through FOIA requests.

Checkoff programs are federally mandated and overseen by the Secretary of Agriculture, so the argument that the programs are not federal simply does not hold water. In a 2005 Supreme Court Ruling, Justice Antonin Scalia ruled that checkoff programs constituted “government speech” and fall under the purview of FOIA.

For more information, please visit: www.idausa.org/BigAgCoverUp

### ENDS ###

In Defense of Animals is an international animal protection organization located in San Rafael, Calif. dedicated to protecting animals’ rights, welfare, and habitats through education, outreach, and our hands-on rescue facilities in India, Africa, and rural Mississippi.

IN DEFENSE OF ANIMALS • 3010 KERNER BLVD. • SAN RAFAEL, CA 94901 • 415-448-0048