HYDE-SMITH: ADDITIONAL MISS. LIVESTOCK, POULTRY PRODUCERS NOW ELIGIBLE FOR USDA CORONAVIRUS AID
USDA Rule Expands CFAP 2 Payments to Livestock, Poultry Contract Producers
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), a member of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, today encouraged eligible agriculture producers in Mississippi to apply for U.S. Department of Agriculture assistance related to losses linked to the coronavirus pandemic.
The USDA recently published its final rule to make contract producers of livestock and poultry eligible for assistance under the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) 2. Congress approved the direct payments as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021.
“The rule for contract growers of livestock and poultry broadens eligibility for CFAP 2, correcting an earlier oversight. I hope eligible producers will now apply for assistance if their operations were affected by disruptions caused by the ongoing pandemic,” Hyde-Smith said.
Under the final rule, CFAP can now make 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, layers, poultry eggs, turkeys, hogs and pigs, ducks, geese, pheasants and quail may be eligible for assistance.
Eligible producers have until Oct. 12, 2021 to apply for or modify applications for CFAP 2. Producers should contact their local Farm Service Agency office for more information regarding eligibility and relief applications.
Hyde-Smith, who also serves on the Senate Agriculture Committee, strongly supported the creation of CFAP as part of the CARES Act, in addition to other benefits in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. She also worked to have Mississippi-produced commodities, like catfish, eligible for COVID-19 agricultural aid.
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