Wool and Mohair Program: Need for Program Still in Question
RCED-90-51
Published: Mar 06, 1990. Publicly Released: Apr 19, 1990.
Skip to Highlights
Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO assessed the Department of Agriculture's (USDA) wool and mohair program.
Recommendations
Matter for Congressional Consideration
| Matter | Status | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| In light of the current budget constraints, the high per-pound subsidy cost, the broad objectives for the wool portion of the program, and the absence of objectives for the mohair portion, Congress should consider the need for the wool and mohair program. If Congress decides to continue the program, it needs to consider, in light of current conditions, what it wants the program's objectives to be. This could include establishing specific, measurable objectives for both wool and mohair and deleting from the Wool Act all references to wool as a strategic commodity and as a measure of national security, since those references are no longer applicable. | The 1990 farm legislation continued the wool and mohair payment program for another 5 years. Some modification to the payment limits were imposed, but Congress did not act on the recommendation to consider what the program objectives should be. Therefore, Congress decided that the recommendation was not applicable, so it should be dropped. GAO may perform further analysis on this program. |
Full Report
Office of Public Affairs
Topics
Administrative costsAgricultural productionClothing industryCommodity marketingFarm income stabilization programsFarm subsidiesLivestock productsStrategic materialsTariffsIndustry representatives