The Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP), administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA), offers financial aid to producers who suffer losses from specific adverse conditions not covered by other USDA disaster assistance programs. This includes losses due to disease, certain adverse weather events, and other qualifying conditions affecting livestock, honey bees, and farm-raised fish. ELAP provides critical support to help producers recover and sustain their operations.
Program Features:
- Covered Losses:
- Livestock losses due to eligible disease, grazing and feed losses due to eligible loss conditions, and water, feed, and livestock transportation due to drought.
- Honey bee colony, hive, and feed losses due to colony collapse disorder, eligible adverse weather, and other conditions.
- Farm-raised fish death losses due to eligible loss conditions
- Payment Rates: Payments are based on the value of the loss amount prior to the eligible loss condition and national payment factor and/or rates that are established for each respective type of loss.
- Documentation Requirements: Producer must provide acceptable documentation of losses and the conditions that caused the loss. This may include veterinary records, feed and water receipts, purchase records, and other supporting documents.
- Application Process: Producer must submit a notice of loss for each loss condition and one application for payment within 30 calendar days after the end of the calendar year in which the loss occurred.
Additional ELAP Benefits:
- Comprehensive Coverage: ELAP covers a wide range of losses and conditions not addressed by other disaster assistance programs, providing crucial support for diverse agricultural operations.
- Economic Stability: By compensating for significant losses, ELAP helps ensure the economic stability of livestock, honey bee, and farm-raised fish producers.
- Risk Management: ELAP is part of the USDA’s suite of disaster assistance programs designed to help producers manage risk and sustain their operations through adverse conditions.
How to Enroll: To apply for the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program, producers must complete and submit a notice of loss and an application for payment to their local FSA office. The process includes providing documentation of the losses and the conditions causing the losses. Detailed enrollment instructions and deadlines are available through the local FSA office or the official USDA website.
Eligibility: Eligible applicants include producers of livestock, honey bees, and farm-raised fish who have suffered losses due to disease, adverse weather, or other qualifying conditions. Producers must provide verifiable documentation of the losses and meet all program requirements.
