Egg Checkoff Increase Voted Down

WASHINGTON - Dec 15/10 - SNS -- Egg producers in the United States defeated a proposal to increase the mandatory assessment paid to the American Egg Board. The referendum was conducted Oct. 29 to Nov. 19, 2010.

"Although 55% of egg producers voting in the referendum approved an amendment to the order that would have raised the assessment from 10 cents to 15 cents per 30-dozen case of eggs," said Rayne Pegg, administrator of USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), "their votes represented only 49% of the volume of eggs produced by all voters from January through December 2009."

For the referendum to pass, at least two-thirds of the voting producers or a majority of producers representing at least two-thirds of the volume of eggs produced by all voters, had to favor the amendment.

Commercial egg producers owning more than 75,000 laying hens between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2009, except those producing hatching eggs, were eligible to vote. In addition, producers who own 75,000 or fewer laying hens but did not file for exemption and paid assessments were eligible to vote.

Producers with more than 75,000 laying hens will continue to pay 10 cents per 30-dozen case of commercial eggs to the American Egg Board, in lieu of the proposed increase to 15 cents.