ABSTRACT

The US grain marketing and inspection system is extremely important to the US economy. The grain inspection system was being operated without effective controls, procedures, or lines of authority; it tolerated conflicts of interest between the grain inspection and merchandising firms; and it had not been responsive to the limited amount of supervision provided by the United States Department of Agriculture. General Accounting Office (GAO) staff and a consultant who had extensive prior experience in the grain standards and inspection field collaborated on an analysis of how the shipment of grain abroad, including loading, transporting, and unloading, affects the conditions of the grain. The grain inspection study entailed an exceptionally intensive interaction with the relevant committees of both houses of Congress. The grain inspection study was distinguished throughout by numerous contacts with the staffs of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees— GAO staff briefed them frequently on the progress of work.