Following a lawsuit filed by three Wisconsin dairy farmers, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued a directive preventing industry-funded research and promotion programs from funding environmental, social and governance initiatives, according to a Sept. 21 report by Wisconsin Public Radio.
The farmers, represented by the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, challenged a federal dairy checkoff for using farmers’ money to fund the so-called ESG initiatives.
The dairy checkoff requires American farmers to pay a milk production fee to fund marketing programs, including the “Got Milk?” campaign, and agricultural research.
There are also checkoff programs for beef, potato and other agricultural producers.
USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins, in a Sept. 17 letter to the National Dairy Research and Promotion Board, said the Trump administration would align checkoff programs with its policy positions.
