Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration
Encyclopedia
The Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (or GIPSA) is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture
that facilitates the marketing of livestock
, poultry
, meat
, cereal
s, oilseeds, and related agricultural products, and promotes fair and competitive trading practices for the overall benefit of consumers and American agriculture. GIPSA was formed in 1994 through the joining of the Federal Grain Inspection Service and the Packers and Stockyards Administration.
GIPSA is part of USDA's Marketing and Regulatory Programs, which are working to ensure a productive and competitive global marketplace for U.S. agricultural products.
GIPSA's Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS) establishes the Official Standards for Grain, which are used each day by sellers and buyers to communicate the type and quality of grain bought and sold. FGIS also establishes standard testing methodologies to accurately and consistently measure grain quality. Finally, the program provides for the impartial application of these grades and standards through a network of federal, state, and private inspection agencies known as the official system. The Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS) was established by Congress in 1976 to manage the national grain inspection system, which was established in 1916, and to institute a national grain weighing program. The goal of creating a single federal grain inspection entity was to ensure development and maintenance of uniform U.S. standards, to develop inspection and weighing procedures for grain in domestic and export trade, and to facilitate grain marketing.
The Agency's Packers and Stockyards Programs (P&S) ensures open and competitive markets for livestock, meat, and poultry. P&S is a regulatory program whose roots are in providing financial protection, and ensuring fair and competitive markets. Today's Packers and Stockyards Program (P&S) is the progeny of the Packers and Stockyards Administration, which was established in 1921 under the Packers and Stockyards Act
. The organization was instituted to regulate livestock marketing activities at public stockyards and the operations of meat packers
and live poultry dealers.
United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...
that facilitates the marketing of livestock
Livestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
, poultry
Poultry
Poultry are domesticated birds kept by humans for the purpose of producing eggs, meat, and/or feathers. These most typically are members of the superorder Galloanserae , especially the order Galliformes and the family Anatidae , commonly known as "waterfowl"...
, meat
Meat
Meat is animal flesh that is used as food. Most often, this means the skeletal muscle and associated fat and other tissues, but it may also describe other edible tissues such as organs and offal...
, cereal
Cereal
Cereals are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their grain , composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran...
s, oilseeds, and related agricultural products, and promotes fair and competitive trading practices for the overall benefit of consumers and American agriculture. GIPSA was formed in 1994 through the joining of the Federal Grain Inspection Service and the Packers and Stockyards Administration.
GIPSA is part of USDA's Marketing and Regulatory Programs, which are working to ensure a productive and competitive global marketplace for U.S. agricultural products.
GIPSA's Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS) establishes the Official Standards for Grain, which are used each day by sellers and buyers to communicate the type and quality of grain bought and sold. FGIS also establishes standard testing methodologies to accurately and consistently measure grain quality. Finally, the program provides for the impartial application of these grades and standards through a network of federal, state, and private inspection agencies known as the official system. The Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS) was established by Congress in 1976 to manage the national grain inspection system, which was established in 1916, and to institute a national grain weighing program. The goal of creating a single federal grain inspection entity was to ensure development and maintenance of uniform U.S. standards, to develop inspection and weighing procedures for grain in domestic and export trade, and to facilitate grain marketing.
The Agency's Packers and Stockyards Programs (P&S) ensures open and competitive markets for livestock, meat, and poultry. P&S is a regulatory program whose roots are in providing financial protection, and ensuring fair and competitive markets. Today's Packers and Stockyards Program (P&S) is the progeny of the Packers and Stockyards Administration, which was established in 1921 under the Packers and Stockyards Act
Packers and Stockyards Act
The Packers and Stockyards Act of 1921 was enacted following the release in 1919 of the Report of the Federal Trade Commission on the meatpacking industry.-History and passage:...
. The organization was instituted to regulate livestock marketing activities at public stockyards and the operations of meat packers
Meat packing industry
The meat packing industry handles the slaughtering, processing, packaging, and distribution of animals such as cattle, pigs, sheep and other livestock...
and live poultry dealers.