Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-raised Fish
ELAP provides recovery assistance to eligible producers of livestock, honeybee, and farm-raised fish losses due to an eligible adverse weather or loss condition, including blizzards, disease, water shortages and wildfires. ELAP covers grazing and feed losses, transportation of water and feed to livestock and hauling livestock to grazing acres. ELAP also covers certain mortality losses for livestock including honeybees and farm-raised fish as well as honeybee hive losses. ELAP is designed to address losses not covered by other FSA disaster assistance programs. Submit Notice of Loss by January 30, 2025 for 2024 losses.
Livestock Indemnity Program
LIP provides disaster recovery assistance to livestock owners and contract growers who experience livestock deaths, in excess of normal mortality caused by eligible loss conditions including adverse weather, disease and attacks by animals reintroduced into the wild by the federal government or protected by federal law, including wolves and avian predators. LIP also helps livestock owners who must sell livestock at a reduced price because of an injury from certain loss conditions. Submit Notice of Loss within 60 days after the calendar year in which the eligible loss condition occurred.
Deadlines
The deadlines for the various programs are often well into the future. The FSA office encourages producers to notify the county FSA office as soon as possible, following an adverse weather event, to start an application. The process typically takes some time to gather all of the required documentation and forms. Be sure to allow enough time to complete prior to program payment deadlines.
Supporting Documentation
Accurate records and loss documentation are critical following disaster events and are required when filing notices of loss with FSA. Acceptable loss documentation includes:
Documentation of the number, kind, type, and weight range of livestock that have died, supplemented, if possible, by photographs or video records of ownership and losses.
Rendering truck receipts by kind, type, and weight - important to document prior to disposal.
Beginning inventory supported by birth recordings or purchase receipts.
Documentation from Animal Plant Health Inspection Service, Department of Natural Resources, or other sources to substantiate eligible death losses due to an eligible loss condition.
Documentation that livestock were removed from grazing pastures due to an eligible adverse weather or loss condition.
Costs of transporting livestock feed to eligible livestock, such as receipts for equipment rental fees for hay lifts and snow removal.
Feed purchase receipts if feed supplies or grazing pastures are destroyed.
Number of gallons of water transported to livestock due to water shortages.
More Information
On farmers.gov, the Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool, Disaster-at-a-Glance fact sheet and Loan Assistance Tool can help producers and landowners determine disaster protection and recovery program or loan options. For more information about FSA programs, contact your local USDA Service Center.
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