Mike
Well-known member
Senate Ag Committee calls for changes at GIPSA
3/14/2006, 10:23 AM CST
A bipartisan group U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee members is charging USDA's Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration has failed to enforce anti-competition laws over the past decade. In a hearing late last week, they said GIPSA has demonstrated "a long history of incompetence" with its investigations and ignored auditors' recommendations for improvements in the oversight of the Packers and Stockyards Act, which is supposed to ensure fair trade practices and competitive marketing conditions in livestock, meat and poultry markets.
In January, USDA's Office of Inspector General issued a report on GIPSA's mismanagement of its duties and concluded that significant improvements in management, planning and policy formulation were needed.
Now Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) has introduced legislation that would reorganize USDA to more aggressively pursue unfair, deceptive and anti-competitive market behavior.
"Failures to protect livestock producers reach all levels of USDA," Harkin said. "For over five years, the Department essentially took no action against unfair market practices and high-level USDA officials let it happen. We need changes at USDA to better confront bad actors in livestock and poultry markets."
Committee Chairman Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) said he was greatly concerned and disheartened with the message OIG's latest report sends to the American public, consumers, and participants in the livestock marketplace. He also said he could not emphasize enough his frustration and discomfort on behalf of U.S farmers and ranchers.
"It is totally unacceptable for our government to conduct business in this way, and I fully expect the Department of Agriculture to swiftly and honestly respond to actions in the marketplace that might signal anti-competitive behavior," Chambliss said. "Not doing so calls into question the ability of the Department to oversee the Packers and Stockyards Act generally and greatly threatens the confidence livestock market participants extend to the government."
Last October, USDA appointed James Link as the new GIPSA administrator. He has acknowledged areas of weakness as identified by OIG, including bad recordkeeping, poor investigation management, lack of policy vision and decision, and lack of follow-through on the recommendations of earlier reviews. Link said OIG offered 10 recommendations for GIPSA, and that he is working to implement them.
The Agriculture Committee asked Link to report back to them within 30 days on whether USDA's 2003 promise of a GIPSA review actually occurred, and to report back within 90 days on his progress in implementing the OIG recommendations. If his efforts are not successful, Chambliss told Link another hearing could be scheduled.
3/14/2006, 10:23 AM CST
A bipartisan group U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee members is charging USDA's Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration has failed to enforce anti-competition laws over the past decade. In a hearing late last week, they said GIPSA has demonstrated "a long history of incompetence" with its investigations and ignored auditors' recommendations for improvements in the oversight of the Packers and Stockyards Act, which is supposed to ensure fair trade practices and competitive marketing conditions in livestock, meat and poultry markets.
In January, USDA's Office of Inspector General issued a report on GIPSA's mismanagement of its duties and concluded that significant improvements in management, planning and policy formulation were needed.
Now Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) has introduced legislation that would reorganize USDA to more aggressively pursue unfair, deceptive and anti-competitive market behavior.
"Failures to protect livestock producers reach all levels of USDA," Harkin said. "For over five years, the Department essentially took no action against unfair market practices and high-level USDA officials let it happen. We need changes at USDA to better confront bad actors in livestock and poultry markets."
Committee Chairman Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) said he was greatly concerned and disheartened with the message OIG's latest report sends to the American public, consumers, and participants in the livestock marketplace. He also said he could not emphasize enough his frustration and discomfort on behalf of U.S farmers and ranchers.
"It is totally unacceptable for our government to conduct business in this way, and I fully expect the Department of Agriculture to swiftly and honestly respond to actions in the marketplace that might signal anti-competitive behavior," Chambliss said. "Not doing so calls into question the ability of the Department to oversee the Packers and Stockyards Act generally and greatly threatens the confidence livestock market participants extend to the government."
Last October, USDA appointed James Link as the new GIPSA administrator. He has acknowledged areas of weakness as identified by OIG, including bad recordkeeping, poor investigation management, lack of policy vision and decision, and lack of follow-through on the recommendations of earlier reviews. Link said OIG offered 10 recommendations for GIPSA, and that he is working to implement them.
The Agriculture Committee asked Link to report back to them within 30 days on whether USDA's 2003 promise of a GIPSA review actually occurred, and to report back within 90 days on his progress in implementing the OIG recommendations. If his efforts are not successful, Chambliss told Link another hearing could be scheduled.
