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Creates an extra federal payment for producers who suffer ‘‘unborn livestock’’ death losses on or after January 1, 2025. The USDA Secretary must pay eligible producers for losses above normal mortality using specified multipliers by livestock category; the Secretary sets the per-unit payment rate but it cannot exceed 85% of the rate for the lowest weight class. "Unborn livestock death losses" are defined in the amendment and the statute prescribes the calculation method for the additional payment.
Adds a new paragraph titled "(5) Additional payment for unborn livestock" to Section 1501(b) of the Agricultural Act of 2014, creating an additional payment authority for unborn livestock death losses.
In general: For unborn livestock death losses incurred on or after January 1, 2025, the Secretary shall make an additional payment to eligible producers on farms that incurred such losses in excess of normal mortality due to a condition specified in paragraph (1).
Payment rate: Additional payments must be made at a rate determined by the Secretary, and that rate must be less than or equal to 85 percent of the payment rate established for the lowest weight class of the livestock, as determined by the Secretary through the Administrator of the Farm Service Agency.
Payment amount calculation: The payment to an eligible producer equals the payment rate (as determined under the payment rate rule) multiplied by a factor that depends on the livestock category: (i) for livestock described in subsection (a)(4) subparagraphs (A), (B), or (F): multiply by 1; (ii) for subparagraph (D): multiply by 2; (iii) for subparagraph (E): multiply by 12; (iv) for subparagraph (G): multiply by the average number of birthed animals (for one gestation cycle) for the species, as determined by the Secretary. 0fileciteturn0file0
Defines "unborn livestock death losses" as losses of any livestock described in subparagraphs (A), (B), (D), (E), (F), or (G) of subsection (a)(4) that was gestating on the date of the death of the livestock.
Who is affected and how:
Primary affected parties are livestock producers and farm owners/operators who experience fetal or otherwise "unborn" livestock death losses (for example, loss of fetuses or unborn animals prior to birth). Eligible producers could receive an additional federal payment for losses above normal mortality, which provides targeted financial relief following reproductive or prenatal losses in herds or flocks.
USDA / Farm Service Agency will need to implement the program details: set the payment rate (within the statutory cap), publish guidance, design application and verification procedures, and process claims. That will require staff time and possibly new or revised forms and inspection/verification processes.
Fiscal impact: the amendment authorizes payments and thus could increase federal outlays depending on the number of claims and the rates set by USDA. Because the text does not appropriate funds, actual spending depends on subsequent appropriations or use of existing program funds.
Operational impact on producers: producers will need to document losses and show they exceed normal mortality benchmarks; smaller operations may face administrative burden to compile necessary evidence. The statutory multipliers and cap will limit per-loss compensation, so payments may cover part — not necessarily all — of producers’ losses.
Broader markets and insurance: the change supplements existing risk-management tools (insurance, disaster assistance). It may influence producers’ decisions about purchasing coverage or reporting losses, but it is narrowly focused on unborn-livestock losses rather than broad market interventions.
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Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
Introduced May 15, 2025 by Ronny Jackson · Last progress May 15, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
Introduced in House