Pork checkoff change irks farmers

Members of an Iowa farm group say they’re outraged to learn new U-S Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman will “reform” rather than eliminate the pork check-off. Referendum results released in January showed pork producers nationwide voted to eliminate the check-off, which takes 45 cents from every hundred dollars of pork sold. Marshall County farmer Larry Ginter is a spokesman for “Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement.”Ginter says Venemen is trying to tell those who voted against the check-off how they should think. Ginter says there is a dark cloud over America right now. Ginter says this is supposed to be a democratic country, but the Bush Administration is trying to be a “right wing dictatorship”. Fifty-three percent of pork producers who cast ballots in the referendum voted to end the check-off. The National Pork Producers Council said there were a number of irregularities and flaws in the vote.