January 18, 2021

US contract broiler growers can apply for federal COVID-19 relief on January 19

US Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue has announced on January 15 that the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) will provide additional assistance through the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), expanding eligibility for some agricultural producers and commodities as well as updating payments to accurately compensate some producers who already applied for the programme.

Producers who are now eligible and those who need to modify existing applications due to these updates can contact USDA's Farm Service Agency (FSA) between January 19 and February 26.

Contract producers of broilers, pullets, laying hens, chicken eggs (breeders), turkeys and swine who suffered a drop in revenue in 2020 as compared to their 2019 revenue due to COVID-19 are now eligible for assistance. Producers could receive up to 80% of their revenue loss, subject to the availability of funds.

Eligible producers must:

- Have raised broilers, pullets, layers, chicken eggs, turkeys, hogs or pigs under a contract in 2019 and 2020;

- Demonstrate a drop in revenue for the period from January 1, 2020, through December 27, 2020, as compared to the period from January 1, 2019, through December 27, 2019;

- Provide a copy of their contract and documentation to support the information provided on their application, if requested by FSA.

"We are pleased that, after several months of discussions, this has come to fruition and our hard working chicken growers that were impacted by COVID-19 will finally get some relief," said National Chicken Council president Mike Brown.

NCC was a leading advocate for including the funds in the most recent COVID-19 stimulus bill passed by Congress in late December.

- NCC