A STOP QIP petition has officially been disqualified by California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Secretary Karen Ross. An announcement was made on December 16. The petition sought a referendum to terminate the Quota Implementation Plan, or QIP. Secretary Ross expressed her reservations and ultimately disqualified the petition due to procedural irregularities.
The Producer Review Board (PRB) had met on November 17 to assess the merits of the petition, which had garnered support from nearly 29 percent of eligible market milk producers. After considering public input and discussions during the meeting, the PRB voted in favor of a referendum.
“As a matter of principle, my inclination is to support recommendations made by the PRB, and also to allow for a fair petition process which would allow producers to present and address concerns,” Secretary Ross wrote in a letter announcing the decision. “However, in making the most appropriate determination, I must consider unforeseen circumstances and/or reasons that may have been unknown to the PRB or CDFA.”
The particular petition, Petition #5, was one of six petitions that had been simultaneously prepared, disseminated, and signed in 2021 for later submission. Secretary Ross deemed this approach inconsistent with petition objectives and an abuse of the process. The use of pre-printed dates on all submitted petitions, including Petition No. 5, was a significant concern. Ultimately, Secretary Ross deemed the STOP QIP petition as disqualified.
“I advise members of the industry that the best practice is to refrain from including preprinted signatures, in order to allow CDFA to more clearly determine the authenticity and reliability of each submitted petition,” wrote Secretary Ross. “Prospective authors of petitions are further advised to consider drafting or circulating one petition at a time, rather than packets of multiple alternatives, in order to avoid creating confusion and uncertainty within the California dairy industry.”
Brian German
Ag News Director / AgNet West