Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program

ELAP provides financial assistance to eligible producers of livestock, honeybees and farm-raised fish for losses due to disease, certain adverse weather events or loss conditions, including blizzards and wildfires, as determined by the Secretary. ELA

ELAP covers losses that are not covered under other disaster assistance programs such as the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program, Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) and the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP). The 2018 Farm Bill, enacted Dec. 20, 2018, amended certain provisions related to ELAP effective with the 2019 program year. In response to ongoing drought conditions across the U.S., USDA expanded ELAP to help drought-stricken ranchers cover above normal costs of hauling water and feed or hauling livestock to forage or other feeding location. Starting in 2024, milk producing dairy cattle began testing positive for H5N1 virus, more commonly known as bird flu. In response, USDA expanded ELAP once again to help producers that suffered milk production losses due to positive tests indicating that dairy herds were infected with H5N1. ELAP also covers eligible losses for Farm Raised Fish for food and eligible losses for honeybee colonies and hives.

To be eligible for benefits, an individual or legal entity must be a citizen of the United States (U.S.); Resident alien; Partnership of citizens of the U.S.; or Corporation, limited liability corporation, other farm organizational structure organized under State law, or Indian tribe or tribal organization. The eligible applicant must have legal ownership of the livestock, honeybees, or farm-raised fish on the day the loss occurs and must be a producer or contract grower of livestock, honeybee, or farm-raised fish that assumes the production and market risks associated with the agricultural production of crops or livestock on a farm and that meets the requirements to receive ELAP payments. An eligible producer who certifies they are socially disadvantaged, limited resource, or beginning or veteran farmer or rancher, will have their payments for losses under ELAP based on a national payment factor of 90 percent.

Eligible producers of livestock, honeybees, and farm-raised fish will receive the ultimate benefits from ELAP. An eligible livestock producer, honeybee producer, and eligible farm-raised fish producer may receive payments for eligible losses based on a national payment rate.

ELAP is a permanent disaster program. The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 authorized the use of Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) funds each fiscal year for ELAP. ELAP begins January 1 of the calendar year and ends December 31. There are three categories of livestock losses covered by ELAP, livestock feed and grazing losses that are not due to drought or wildfires on federally managed lands; losses resulting from the additional cost of transporting water to livestock, feed to livestock, or livestock to feed, due to an eligible drought; and losses resulting from the additional cost associated with gathering livestock for treatment and/or inspection related to cattle tick fever. There are three categories of honeybee losses covered by ELAP, losses of colonies, in excess of normal mortality, losses of honeybee hives; and losses of honeybee feed that was purchased or produced, including additional feed purchased above normal quantities to sustain honeybees until such time that additional feed becomes available. There are two categories of farm-raised fish losses covered by ELAP, death losses, in excess of normal mortality, and purchased or produced farm-raised fish feed losses.

There are no restrictions placed on the time permitted to spend the money awarded.

FSA will use the data furnished by the applicant to determine eligibility for program benefits. Furnishing the data is voluntary; however, without all required data program benefits will not be approved or provided.

Producers can apply to receive ELAP assistance at local FSA service centers. For 2023 deadline was January 30, 2024, 2024 deadline is January 30, 2025. In addition to submitting an application for payment, producers must submit a notice of loss by the application deadline of January 30th following the program year in which the loss occurred.

Appeal regulations are set for in Parts 11 and 780 of 7 CFR apply to determinations made under ELAP