Packers and Stockyards Administration: Oversight of Livestock Market Competitiveness Needs to Be Enhanced
RCED-92-36
Published: Oct 16, 1991. Publicly Released: Oct 16, 1991.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Packers and Stockyards Administration's (PSA) role in monitoring and regulating the livestock and meat packing industries, focusing on: (1) how the livestock and meat packing industries have changed since the Packers and Stockyards Act of 1921; and (2) what role PSA plays in monitoring anticompetitive practices by meat-packing firms in their procurement of livestock.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Agriculture | To enable PSA to adequately fulfill its responsibilities under the Packers and Stockyards Act, the Secretary of Agriculture should determine a feasible and practical approach for monitoring the activity in regional livestock markets. In defining the relevant markets, PSA must determine the types of data and analysis it needs and the cost-effectiveness of obtaining and analyzing those data. Additional industry data required may include: (1) actual transaction prices relative to the quantity and quality of livestock and location of buying plant; (2) transportation costs associated with transactions; and (3) information on vertical coordination arrangements, by the type of transaction, and location of buyer and seller. |
Closed – Implemented
Agriculture has modified its monitoring approach.
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Topics
Agricultural policiesCattleCommodity marketingCompetitionData collectionInvestigations by federal agenciesLivestock productsMeat packing industryMonitoringTrade regulationLivestock