Consultative Subcommittee on Surplus Disposal

The CSSD was established by the FAO in 1954 to monitor international shipments of surplus agricultural commodities used as food aid in order to minimize the harmful impact of these shipments on commercial trade and agricultural production. Over the years, members of the CSSD have developed a comprehensive set of rules and procedures designed to assist aid-supplying countries to account for and identify the flow of food aid shipments. These rules, endorsed by the major suppliers of commodity assistance, are embodied in the handbook entitled: Principles of Surplus Disposal and Consultative Obligations of Member Nations (Table of Contents - Main document - Appendix).

The Principles set out detailed procedures for reporting food aid to the CSSD by aid-supplying countries including notification of the various categories of food aid, prior consultation with other exporters and the establishment of usual marketing requirements (UMRs). The reporting obligations of aid-supplying countries vary according to the type of food aid supplied and whether governments, private charitable organizations or multilateral agencies are the vehicles for distribution. Meetings of the Subcommittee are held on a quarterly basis to keep track of the continual flow of food aid reported to the CSSD, however, much of the work of the Subcommittee is done in bilateral consultations between formal meetings. The CSSD is located in Washington, D.C. and is serviced by LOWA.

MEMBERS, OBSERVERS AND OBSERVER ORGANIZATIONS Of CSSD (As of 1 September, 2000)
Members	Observers	International Organizations
Argentina Australia Austria Bangladesh Belgium Bolivia Brazil Canada Costa Rica Cuba Ecuador EEC Egypt France Germany Ghana Greece Guyana India Indonesia Ireland Italy Jamaica Japan Lebanon Malawi Mexico Myanmar Netherlands New Zealand Pakistan Paraguay Peru Spain Sri Lanka Thailand Turkey United Kingdom United States Uruguay	Chile Denmark Dominican Republic El Salvador Finland Guatemala Honduras Iran Jordan Republic of Korea Malta Norway Panama Philippines Sweden Switzerland	International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) International Federation of Agricultural Producers (IFAP) International Monetary Fund (IMF) Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Organization of American States (OAS) United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)