Key facts
- Three Wisconsin dairy farmers have sued the Trump administration over the Dairy Checkoff Program.
- The lawsuit alleges mandatory fees and data collection support ESG initiatives, including climate change policies.
- Farmers claim these actions violate executive orders aimed at reducing climate-focused mandates and ensuring fair competition.
- The Dairy Checkoff Program collects over $300 million annually.
Three Wisconsin dairy farmers have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, challenging the mandatory fees and operational data collection required by the Dairy Checkoff Program. The farmers allege that funds intended for promoting dairy consumption are being diverted to support environmental, social, and governance (ESG) priorities, such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions in milk production, which they have not agreed to fund.
The lawsuit contends that these mandatory checkoff fees subsidize private organizations that promote an ESG-focused agenda, and that these organizations, with the assistance of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), then impose ESG demands on the farmers. The plaintiffs argue that these policies violate several of President Trump's executive orders, which directed agencies to eliminate burdensome and ideologically motivated climate change policies and ensure a level playing field for American farmers against foreign competitors.
Last week, Representative Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.) raised concerns about proprietary data from the checkoff program being shared with Canada. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins stated that dairy farmers are required to provide extensive data on cattle feed and manure disposal, ostensibly for climate challenges, as a condition of selling their milk. The Dairy Checkoff Program collects upwards of $300 million annually, with the pork checkoff nearing $94 million and the beef checkoff exceeding $1 billion, according to 2021 data.