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International Trade: FAS Management of Livestock Cooperator Program

NSIAD-88-24 Published: Oct 26, 1987. Publicly Released: Oct 26, 1987.
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Highlights

In response to a congressional request, GAO examined livestock cooperator activities under the Foreign Agricultural Service's (FAS) Cooperator Market Development Program to determine whether non-profit cooperators were distributing trade leads in a timely manner to other livestock exporters.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Agriculture The Secretary of Agriculture should direct the Administrator, FAS, in finalizing and implementing the proposed conflict-of-interest provision as a regulation to: (1) include a requirement for cooperators to certify that their activities under the program will comply with the regulation and applicable FAS guidelines and agreements; and (2) set out procedures for handling cases of cooperator noncompliance, including possible corrective actions to be taken by cooperators and the potential sanctions to be levied by FAS, such as withholding of funding or being declared ineligible for participation in the program.
Closed – Implemented
The conflict-of-interest regulation has been finalized as of October 13, 1989, and cooperator agreements have been modified to include the regulation's provisions. Certain cooperators that would not abide by the regulation's provisions have been terminated from the program.

Full Report

Full Report (36 pages)

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Topics

International Affairs
Agricultural programsCommodity marketingConflict of interestsExportingInternational trade regulationLivestock productsNonprofit organizationsRestrictive trade practicesSanctionsLivestock