AFF Purpose Statement: Promoting free market principles throughout the agricultural food chain.

Major Issues:

• We believe in the importance of non-restrictive cattle ownership to producing quality beef efficiently through beef alliances, marketing agreements, contracts and branded beef programs (vs. packer bans or producer/packer partnership bans.)
• We oppose the protectionist mandatory COOL legislation masquerading as a food safety measure, foisting tremendous cost on the entire beef chain for no real consumer benefit.
• We believe in the importance and win/win benefits from free trade as opposed to cutting off imports and triggering trade wars ending our export recovery.
• We believe in preserving all possible options for the beef industry to use in adapting to changing consumer demands worldwide, instead of allowing limitations by government fiat to be imposed on agriculture's marketing methods, company structure, operation size, business diversification and coordination. Why should agriculture be denied business tools other industries use?
• We see the danger to production agriculture threatened by animal activist groups imposing human values on the housing, care and veterinary care of production animals, e.g. Humane Society of the U.S., Public Citizen, GRACE, Farm Sanctuary, PETA, PEW and a host of others.
• We favor the beef check-off and its current legal structure as designed by cattlemen for cattlemen to fund innovative new products and approaches, research for nutrition and health defense, issues management, promotion and advertising.
• We oppose efforts by do-gooders to restrict whether or not cattlemen use new genetic or scientific production tools or approved medications and feed additives in order to utilize natural resources and animals in the most efficient and prudent manner.
• We oppose legal and public relations efforts to hobble or eliminate production agriculture by use of the Endangered Species Act, National Environmental Protection Act or other government rules or regulations.