HSUS Seeks Investigation of Pork Checkoff Expenditures

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has filed a complaint with
the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Inspector General requesting an
investigation into the use of pork checkoff funds. HSUS contends that “federal
pork checkoff program monies are being used to fund the NPPC’s [National
Pork Producers Council’s] Pork Alliance program, which is the council’s state
and federal lobbying operation. Further, the NPPC publicly lists the [National] Pork Board on its website among the high donor ‘partners’ of its Alliance
program, a public endorsement that would also violate the Pork Board’s
prohibition against involvement in lobbying activity.”

The federal pork checkoff program apparently requires pork producers to
pay into a fund overseen by the National Pork Board, which HSUS claims “is
to use the funds for ‘promotion, research, and consumer information plans
and projects’ or for the Board’s own administrative expenses. However,
both federal law and USDA regulations expressly prohibit the use of pork
checkoff program funding for legislative activity.” According to the complaint,
NPPC’s Pork Alliance program “is a voluntary scheme in which interested
organizations from allied industries can pay dues to the NPPC in support of
its legislative activities.” HSUS alleges that NPPC “uses Alliance dues ‘to fund
outreach for critical legislative and regulatory industry priorities.’”

Details about the HSUS Federal Trade Commission complaint alleging that
NPPC engaged in false advertising appear in Issue 436 of this Update. Details
about an HSUS lawsuit against USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack alleging unlawful
expenditures of pork checkoff funds appear in Issue 455 of this Update.