United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office Resources, Community, and Economic Development Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1995-04-28 monographic deposited born digital 71 p. GA 1.13:RCED-95-171 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-RCED-95-171 P0b002ee1803a1e35 f:rc95171 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-RCED-95-171 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-RCED-95-171 RCED-95-171 Agricultural products Commodity marketing Exporting Sales promotion Foreign governments International trade Agricultural industry Agricultural research Domestic assistance Comparative analysis Australia Germany New Zealand United Kingdom USDA Foreign Market Development Program USDA Market Promotion Program Letter Report RCED Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on U.S. and foreign promotion and research programs to increase domestic and foreign sales of agricultural products, focusing on: (1) how U.S. check-off programs are organized; (2) what factors the check-off boards consider in planning future program activities; and (3) how comparable marketing organizations in Australia, Germany, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom carry out their promotion activities.<p/>GAO found that: (1) the six U.S. check-off programs reviewed vary by board composition, revenues collected, assessment methods, and options for initiating, continuing, and terminating programs; (2) the check-off boards differ in their emphasis on developing domestic or foreign markets, their methods for selling their products, and their reliance on research to develop new products, enhance production, and address nutritional concerns; (3) the check-off boards use market research and program evaluation techniques to plan their future activities while coordinating with related groups in preparing and carrying out these plans; (4) the foreign promotion and research programs reviewed differ from the U.S. check-off programs in their organizational structure, funding mechanisms, types of activities performed, and emphasis on export activities; (5) some foreign marketing organizations have government members on their boards or guiding councils and do not require legislative action to change their assessment rates; (6) some foreign programs promote product groups rather than a single industry; (7) in general, the foreign marketing organizations do not exempt small producers from assessments and some receive significant funding from sources other than their industry assessments; (8) these foreign organizations generally engage in a wider range of promotional activities, such as buying and selling products and providing training and inspection services, than their U.S. counterparts and focus more on exports than domestic sales; and (9) market development programs may become more important in the future, since the new international trade regulations do not limit their use and increase competition. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-RCED-95-171/html/GAOREPORTS-RCED-95-171.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-RCED-95-171/pdf/GAOREPORTS-RCED-95-171.pdf GAO/RCED-95-171 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-RCED-95-171 Letter Report GAO/RCED-95-171; Agricultural Marketing: Comparative Analysis of U.S. and Foreign Promotion and Research Programs; Agricultural products Commodity marketing Exporting Sales promotion Foreign governments International trade Agricultural industry Agricultural research Domestic assistance Comparative analysis Australia Germany New Zealand United Kingdom USDA Foreign Market Development Program USDA Market Promotion Program