NCBA seeks to intervene in OCM lawsuit

The National Cattlemen's Beef Association is looking to have a say in a lawsuit seeking to force disclosure of records that USDA gathered in an audit of the beef checkoff program. NCBA filed a motion to intervene this week in the case originally brought in 2014 by the Organization for Competitive Markets with the help of attorneys from the Humane Society of the United States. NCBA said some of the records involve confidential business information and that the lawsuit is an attempt by HSUS to “divert attention from beef promotion activities.” The OCM complaint seeks disclosure of agency records from USDA's Office of the Inspector General audit that began in 2011. That program is better known as the beef checkoff, which collects a $1 per head assessment on all live cattle sold in the U.S. to be used for research and promotion purposes.