[Decision Concerning Liability of Brokers for Off-Hour USDA Inspections]

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) requested a decision regarding whether APHIS could properly hold vessel and aircraft owners' agents liable for reimbursable expenses incurred during off-hour inspections performed by APHIS. GAO held that: (1) if agents requested agricultural inspection services on behalf of a disclosed principal, APHIS could not hold the agent liable for reimbursable charges incurred; and (2) the inspections were not analogous to consumer credit transactions because the agent would merely be executing a two-party contract between the government and the vessel owner. Accordingly, APHIS cannot hold agents liable for inspection charges.