The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced Thursday they are starting to issue some $270 million in payments to contract producers of eligible livestock and poultry who applied for Pandemic Assistance.
Earlier this year, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) identified gaps in assistance including in the initial proposal to assist contract growers.
“We listened to feedback from producers and stakeholders about impacts across livestock and poultry operations and made updates to be more equitable in the assistance we delivered,” said FSA Administrator Zach Ducheneaux. “For contract producers this meant expanding eligibility and providing flexibility such as considering 2018 or 2019 revenue when calculating payments and accounting for contract producers who increased the size of their operation in 2020 or were new to farming when the pandemic hit.”
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, provided funding for payments to contract producers of eligible livestock and poultry for revenue losses from Jan. 1, 2020, through Dec. 27, 2020. Contract producers of broilers, pullets, chicken eggs, turkeys, hogs and pigs, ducks, geese, pheasants and quail were eligible for assistance, along with eligible breeding stock and eggs of all eligible poultry types produced under contract.
USDA expects further Pandemic Assistance to continue to fill remaining gaps later this year. Click here to view a full list of Pandemic Assistance that is available.