Court grants R-CALF’s motion to expand beef checkoff lawsuit

The federal district court in Montana on Monday granted independent rancher group R-CALF USA’s motion to expand its lawsuit against the USDA and the beef checkoff program to include at least 13 states in addition to Montana, the group announced in a news release. R-CALF contends that funds collected from its cattle producer members through the checkoff have been used illegally to fund the private speech of the Montana Beef Council. The Montana district court previously granted, and an appellate court upheld, a preliminary injunction against the USDA.The district court ruling does not apply that injunction to the additional 13 states (Hawaii, Indiana, Kansas, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Vermont and Wisconsin). But it allows R-CALF to continue its original case seeking a permanent injunction against the USDA and, if successful, each of the new states.