Assistance for Livestock and Poultry

Assistance for Livestock and Poultry

Maura Bennett
Maura Bennett

Thousands of Livestock and poultry producers throughout the southeast suffered losses during the pandemic when they couldn’t get access to processing facilities. Those producers can now apply for assistance for those losses and the cost of depopulation and disposal of the animals.

Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture announced the Pandemic Livestock Indemnity Program (PLIP) in remarks at the National Pork Industry Conference in Wisconsin. Livestock and poultry producers can apply for assistance through USDA’s Farm Service Agency through Sept. 17, 2021.

In the meantime, the Agriculture Secretary says the USDA is moving ahead with a directive in a presidential Executive Order to improve fairness and transparency within the Packers and Stockyards Act.

“Vilsack: There’s a poultry grower ranking system that we believe needs to be tightened up. We’ll also take a look at clarifying and drawing bright lines on what constitutes unfair practice and looking at the scope of proof or the requirement of proof to be able to establish a violation of Packers and Stockyards, we’re going to take a look at better defining that proof so it gives producers a real opportunity to utilize Packers and Stockyards if there are unfair practices taking place.

AG Secretary Tom Vilsack says these efforts are designed to create a balance between producers and packers to make sure we have a more equitable market.

Vilsack told reporters that large packing houses will need to learn that they can not take advantage of meat and poultry growers and growers should not have to sell at a loss so packers can make a profit.

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