Courtesy of NAA:
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has waived certain notice of loss requirements for 2023 for the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-raised Fish (ELAP). Producers who incurred ELAP-eligible losses in 2023, now have until Jan. 30, 2024 to submit a notice of loss.
In an effort to streamline assistance to support access to critical 2023 natural disaster recovery assistance, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is waiving the requirement to submit ELAP notices of loss within a pre-determined number of days for 2023. Instead, producers have the flexibility to submit 2023 notices of loss as soon as possible, once losses are realized, following a natural disaster event or no later than the established annual program application for payment deadlines for each program. FSA county committees are also being asked to re-evaluate 2023 ELAP late-filed notices of loss to determine if the waiver applies.
“Our goal is to get producers into these disaster programs, and they are always encouraged to turn in an application if they believe they are eligible,” said FSA Administrator Zach Ducheneaux. “Program improvements are only effective if we ensure producers have sufficient time and information needed to submit their application. The ELAP waivers we are announcing today, in response to historic disasters in 2023, improve efficiencies for producers and our staff, are responsive to feedback about confusion regarding program timelines and are intended to give our staff the time needed to deliver the right support to producers when they need it most. These waivers are also reflective of FSA’s efforts to integrate improvements and accessibility into our policy decisions. It’s critical that we increase awareness of these program flexibilities so all producers can participate.”