Wool and Mohair Program:
Need for Program Still in Question
RCED-90-51: Published: Mar 6, 1990. Publicly Released: Apr 19, 1990.
Additional Materials:
- Full Report:
Contact:
(202) 512-5138
contact@gao.gov
Office of Public Affairs
(202) 512-4800
youngc1@gao.gov
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO assessed the Department of Agriculture's (USDA) wool and mohair program.
GAO found that: (1) USDA made $665 million in wool payments from 1981 through 1988; (2) wool production declined from 110 million pounds in 1981 to 89 million pounds in 1988; (3) from 1977 through 1983, payments boosted wool production by 18 percent; (4) industry representatives have contended that the payments have improved wool quality and production and stabilized the domestic wool industry; (5) military purchases account for 8 percent of the annual domestic wool production, but could substantially decline as new synthetic materials are used; (6) from 1981 through 1988, mohair producers received $173 million in program payments; and (7) in 1988 alone, mohair payments represented $47.1 million, or 53 percent, of total program payments.
Matter for Congressional Consideration
Status: Closed - Not Implemented
Comments: 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.
Matter: 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Act all references to wool as a strategic commodity and as a measure of national security, since those references are no longer applicable.
Explore the full database of GAO's Open Recommendations
»
Jan 15, 2021
-
Farmworkers:
Additional Information Needed to Better Protect Workers from Pesticide ExposureGAO-21-63: Published: Jan 15, 2021. Publicly Released: Jan 15, 2021.
Nov 20, 2020
-
Food Safety:
CDC Could Further Strengthen Its Efforts to Identify and Respond to Foodborne IllnessesGAO-21-23: Published: Oct 21, 2020. Publicly Released: Nov 20, 2020.
Nov 16, 2020
-
Farm Programs:
USDA Has Improved Its Completion of Eligibility Compliance Reviews, but Additional Oversight Is NeededGAO-21-95: Published: Oct 30, 2020. Publicly Released: Nov 16, 2020.
Sep 16, 2020
-
Agriculture Spending:
Opportunities Exist for USDA to Identify Successes and Challenges of the Farmers to Families Food Box Program to Inform Future EffortsGAO-20-711R: Published: Sep 16, 2020. Publicly Released: Sep 16, 2020.
Sep 14, 2020
-
USDA Market Facilitation Program:
Information on Payments for 2019GAO-20-700R: Published: Aug 21, 2020. Publicly Released: Sep 14, 2020.
Aug 10, 2020
-
National Bio and Agro-defense Facility:
DHS and USDA Are Working to Transfer Ownership and Prepare for Operations, but Critical Steps RemainGAO-20-331: Published: Jul 10, 2020. Publicly Released: Aug 10, 2020.
May 7, 2020
-
Food Safety:
FDA and USDA Could Strengthen Existing Efforts to Prepare for Oversight of Cell-Cultured MeatGAO-20-325: Published: Apr 7, 2020. Publicly Released: May 7, 2020.
Apr 13, 2020
-
Priority Open Recommendations:
U.S. Department of AgricultureGAO-20-288PR: Published: Apr 6, 2020. Publicly Released: Apr 13, 2020.
Dec 23, 2019
-
Nutrition Assistance Programs:
Agencies Could Do More to Help Address the Nutritional Needs of Older AdultsGAO-20-18: Published: Nov 21, 2019. Publicly Released: Dec 23, 2019.
Dec 6, 2019
-
Imported Seafood Safety:
Actions Needed to Improve FDA Oversight of Import Alert Removal DecisionsGAO-20-62: Published: Nov 6, 2019. Publicly Released: Dec 6, 2019.
Looking for more? Browse all our products here