The U.S. Department of Agriculture has extended the deadline for livestock and poultry farmers to apply for the Pandemic Livestock Indemnity Program (PLIP) to Oct. 12, 2021. Producers who suffered losses during the pandemic due to lack access to processing have until then to apply for assistance for those losses and the cost of depopulation and disposal of the animals.
Eligible livestock must have been depopulated between March 1 and Dec. 26, 2020 due to insufficient processing access as a result of the pandemic. Applicants must have had legal ownership of the livestock; contract growers are not eligible.
Payments are based on 80 percent of the fair market value of the livestock and poultry and for the cost of depopulation and disposal of the animal. Aid previously received through other programs will be subtracted from the payment amount. Eligible livestock and poultry include swine, chickens and turkeys.
Eligible producers can apply for PLIP by completing the application, and submitting it to any FSA county office.
Additional Pandemic Assistance
Other programs within the Pandemic Assistance for Producer initiative with upcoming deadlines include:
· Oct. 12 – Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2, which provides critical support to agricultural producers impacted by COVID-19 market disruptions.
· Oct. 15 – Pandemic Assistance for Timber Harvesters and Haulers, which provides financial relief to timber harvesting and timber hauling businesses that experienced losses in 2020 due to COVID-19.