Washington - The Agriculture Department is reviewing its management of a dozen commodity-promotion programs amid reports by its inspector general accusing USDA officials of lax oversight.
The inspector general recently recommended suspending operation of the board that runs the milk-mustache advertising campaign, and an earlier report cited wasteful spending by the Cotton Board.
The department is conducting “a thorough and independent review of all promotion boards,” said USDA spokesman Andy Solomon.
The boards, funded with assessments on producers and processors, cover such products as beef, potatoes, watermelons, mushrooms, eggs and popcorn, as well as milk and cotton.
The Cotton Board, which collects $60 million a year from cotton growers and importers, spent at least $8,500 on adult entertainment, including $2,915 for what was listed on bills as “personal services,” The Washington Post reported Wednesday.
An audit of the Fluid Milk Processor Promotion Program said that the board that runs it did not file required reports or get USDA's approval for $127 million in contracts, many of which were let without competition.
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