Dairy farmers sue Trump administration over checkoff program
Source: The Hill
06/10/26 5:50 PM ET
Three Wisconsin farmers filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on Wednesday for requiring dairy producers to provide operational data and pay mandatory fees to the Dairy Checkoff Program.
For every 100 pounds of milk sold, dairy farmers pay 15 cents toward the checkoff to fund promotion and research efforts. Dairy importers also pay 7.5 cents per hundredweight imported (or equivalent thereof) into the checkoff, according to the Department of Agriculture. The plaintiffs allege the funds that are supposed to be used to drive dairy consumption through the “Got Milk” campaign and other programs are being used to back environmental, social and governance (ESG) priorities that farmers have not agreed to support.
The three farmers specifically take issue with funds backing the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, a nonprofit that advocates for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the milk production process and focuses on sustainability. “Despite this administration’s speech—uniformly critical of ESG’s legitimacy within regulatory frameworks forced upon American citizens and businesses—ESG mandates remain firmly in place in American agriculture,” the lawsuit says.
“American dairy farmers are required to pay ‘checkoff’ fees for each hundredweight (100 pounds) of milk they produce. In turn, these mandatory checkoff fees subsidize private organizations that promote an ESG-focused ideological agenda around the world. These organizations, with the assistance of USDA, then impose their ESG demands upon the very American farmers funding them back home,” it adds. The USDA directed The Hill’s request for comment to the Department of Justice, which did not immediately respond.
Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5919012-dairy-farmers-sue-trump-administration/
Link to SUIT (PDF) - https://will-law.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/1-2026-06-09-Complaint.pdf
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