AMS No. 021-09

Billy Cox (202) 720-8998

billy.cox@ams.usda.gov

Hakim Fobia (202) 690-0488

hakim.fobia@ams.usda.gov

WASHINGTON, Feb. 18, 2009 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced the results of a pork request for referendum that shows too few pork producers and importers want a continuance referendum on the Pork Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information Order. The request for referendum was held from December 8, 2008, through January 2, 2009, at USDA's county Farm Service Agency offices.

The request for referendum was conducted as a result of a settlement of a lawsuit entered into February 28, 2001, with USDA and the Michigan Pork Producers Association, Inc., et al. Under the settlement agreement, USDA agreed to conduct a request for referendum among eligible pork producers and importers to determine whether producers and importers favored holding a referendum on the Pork Checkoff Program. If the results of the request for referendum showed that there was sufficient interest among pork producers and importers to have a vote on whether to continue the order, a referendum would have to be held within a year.

If at least 15 percent of the 69,446 eligible pork producers and importers nationwide participated in the request for referendum, a referendum would have been conducted. Of the 96 participants, 94 valid requests for a referendum were cast -- far short of the 10,417 required to trigger a referendum. State-by-state results are printed at the end of this release.

For more information, please contact Kenneth R. Payne, Chief; Marketing Programs Branch, Room 2628-S; Livestock and Seed Program, AMS, USDA; Stop 0251; 1400 Independence Avenue, SW; Washington, D.C. 20250-0251; by calling (202) 720-1115; or faxing (202) 720-1125; or e-mail at Kenneth.Payne@usda.gov.

State-by-State Pork Request for Referendum Results

STATE VALID REQUESTS

REQUESTS

Alabama 0

Alaska 0

Arizona 0

Arkansas 0

California 0

Colorado 1

Connecticut 0

Delaware 1

Florida 0

Georgia 0

Hawaii 0

Idaho 0

Illinois 1

Indiana 4

Iowa 39

Kansas 8

Kentucky 0

Louisiana 0

Maine 0

Maryland 0

Massachusetts 0

Michigan 1

Minnesota 11

Mississippi 0

Missouri 4

Montana 0

Nebraska 5

Nevada 0

New Hampshire 0

New Jersey 0

New Mexico 0

New York 0

North Carolina 1

North Dakota 2

Ohio 4

Oklahoma 0

Oregon 0

Pennsylvania 4

Rhode Island 0

South Carolina 0

South Dakota 2

Tennessee 0

Texas 0

Utah 0

Vermont 0

Virginia 0

Washington 0

West Virginia 0

Wisconsin 6

Wyoming 0

Importers 0

Total 94