Pork Promotion Program: Petition Validation Process Needs to Be Strengthened
RCED-00-274
Published: Sep 28, 2000. Publicly Released: Sep 28, 2000.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Agricultural Marketing Service's (AMS) efforts to validate a petition on whether to continue the Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Pork Promotion Program, focusing on: (1) the problems AMS encountered in its process to validate the pork petition and AMS' plans to improve the validation process; (2) factors that led to the USDA Secretary's decision to order the referendum; and (3) whether the USDA Secretary has the authority to order a referendum and whether USDA can use appropriated funds to pay its cost.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Agriculture | To strengthen AMS' petition validation process, the Secretary of Agriculture should direct the Administrator, AMS, to develop a uniform petition validation process for pork and all other check-off programs that are based on standard professional practices. |
In its statement of January 11, 2001 to GAO, USDA responded that it agreed with and planned to take action on our recommendation. In June 2001, AMS issued a solicitation to consulting firms to develop a uniform petition validation process for all of the agency's commodity promotion programs. According to the Deputy Administrator of AMS, the agency initiated this action based on a directive from the Secretary of Agriculture.
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| Department of Agriculture | To ensure compliance with the Pork Promotion Act, the Secretary of Agriculture should direct the Administrator, AMS, to obtain reimbursement from pork check-off funds to pay all referendum expenses. |
In November 2000, Congress authorized the Secretary in Public Law 106-472 to use USDA funds to pay all expenses associated with the vote.
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Advertising costsLivestock productsMarketingSurveysSwinePorkDatabase management systemsData entryAppropriated fundsLivestock